


Reconfiguration

by Phoebeus



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! Series
Genre: Awkward boys are awkward, BIG PLOT first chapter + angst-flavored fluff the next twenty?, GIGANTIC CANON REENGINEERING for the sake of fluff and shipping, M/M, Multi, Puzzleshipping, poor mama mutou
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-30
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2018-10-12 20:30:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 139,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10498908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoebeus/pseuds/Phoebeus
Summary: A few minutes delay is all it takes to change the course of lives, and Atem is not certain if he should thank the gods or curse them for this shift in his destiny. For what did it mean for his fate, this chance to know the world again in his own flesh? What good can come from lingering so solidly in a world he is meant to leave? [Puzzleshipping, Canon Branch-Off]





	1. Reroute

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please check out [These Days We Celebrate](http://archiveofourown.org/series/668048) for my canon compliant 'prequel' series for events that will probably be referenced in this story! Not a necessary read, but it'll definitely add substance. :)
> 
>  **Music:** [Night on Bald Mountain](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZQIfEJ7gOk&list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z)

“ ** _Zorc Inferno… Catastrophe!!_** ”

“Hurk-!” Pain laced through the pharaoh’s heart and chest and poured out of him as blood, coughed up and left to trickle freely between his teeth.

“ ** _Geh heh ha ha ha… I win the battle of memories… Now, Pharaoh, you will vanish into endless night…_** ”

“Pharaoh!”

He… he could hear him. Hasan, crying out to him.

But the pharaoh could not answer. No… Mahaad, and Mana, they were too weak to move, to even _speak_ as the former started to disappear, and he? The pharaoh? He... his soul… was fading away.

He was done.

It was over.

He had drawn the last proverbial card, and there was nothing… there was nothing left. 

“Pharaoh…” The voice had come closer, and when he used what felt like the very last of his strength to look up into that golden mask? Into the solitary eye showing through its cracks? He saw desperation there… desperation, and sorrow. “I am so sorry, my pharaoh. I have failed you.”

“N-no,” the king strove to protest, but even letting the breath out for that single word bowled him over, and he had catch himself on shaking arms to keep his face from the sands.

“We cannot let Zorc Necrophades win here,” the man said somewhere above him, his words sliding over the back of his neck like wind. “No matter what, he cannot win.”

“ ** _And what power do you have to stop me now?!_** ” the great demon jeered, raising his hand to prepare what would certainly be his _final_ attack.

Hasan’s body jerked at the sight, and he rushed to kneel at the pharaoh’s side. “My king, I never wished for it to come to this, but there _is_ one last thing we can do, if there is truly no other hope left.”

“What…” The pharaoh breathed, but there was no need to finish the sentence. Hasan lowered his head to murmur in his ear before he got the full word out.

And however his head may swim, the king could not help but jerk back and stare in horror for what he heard. “ _That_ -”

* * *

“ _That_ …” the spirit of the Puzzle breathed, eyes glazing over the cards in his hand and the diorama before him as he registered what had just been whispered within the world of memories.

He… he _couldn’t do that_ , could he? Did he _really_ have to make that drastic a move? That drastic a sacrifice… a _second time_?!

The other Yuugi wanted to say _no_ , for that was what resounded through his heart… but there was no denying it. However the answer might distress him, he could see it. The same alarm and denial on Zorc’s face.

“No-” the Ring’s spirit breathed, only to slam his fist down on the edge of the game board as he _glared_ at his opponent. “You wouldn’t dare… You can’t even remember that magic anymore!”

“I do not need to,” the other Yuugi countered, even as his eyes soaked in the scene upon the board… even as his nerves fried within him. “I have never needed to understand the Puzzle’s magic to use it. And I can sense it. The very fact that I know it is possible makes it so.”

“But you _will not_ -” All sense of advantage and control had abandoned the game master. He stood up, grit his teeth through every word. “You will stop me, that is so. But you will trap yourself, too! Not just in the game, but here and now! You will lose it all! Yourself, your memories… and even if they cannot go with us? Your friends’ souls are still buried in the ruins of your own tomb!” he claimed, eyes wild and wide. “You will trap them there forever if you do not get them out before doing _that_!”

The other Yuugi choked on his breath, his eyes dropping to scour the collapsed mess that had once been his tomb.

 _Aibou_... _everyone_ …

He… he couldn’t-

* * *

“You must, your highness,” Hasan insisted, the sympathy in his voice doing nothing to still the king’s shaking.

He… he had been waiting… waiting for _them_ …

_Don’t worry, you can count on us! We will find your true name!!_

He… how could he do something like _that_ when his partner and friends were still out there somewhere?!

It would be dooming them all! Punishing them for ever trying to hand him hope!

“There is no more time, and no other path to take. If you do not do it,” the masked man continued, voice tight with the weight of the demon _just there_ , ready to wipe them away. “Then we are _all_ lost. You, I, all of the people here… and all who exist beyond this world.”

The pharaoh… he shut his eyes, and dropped that much closer to the sands as the weight of each and every soul pressed down upon his back.

“…Can you, cover me…?”

“-Of course, my pharaoh,” Hasan breathed, a relief far, far too sad shining in his voice as he stalled just long enough to bow his head… and then turned to shoot up into the air.

“ ** _You fools!_** ” The great darkness roared, reaching out to blast them away in a rushed, desperate bid to eradicate them. “ ** _You think that you can trap me again?! I will be free! I will destroy you!!!_ ”**

 _Hasan_ , the pharaoh breathed within his own mind, letting his gaze linger for a single heartbeat on the man throwing his life away to buy him time… then he yanked the Puzzle from his neck. _Thank you_.

“ ** _Nooo!!!!_** ” the beast screamed as he leaned into his attack, but it was pointless. The spell the king cast was a quick, almost thoughtless one.

It was far, far too simple, after all, to shatter something.

And even the sands could not soften the blow when the pharaoh threw the gold down with the full force of his arm and all-but-depleted _ba_.

It broke to pieces instantly.

* * *

“ _Noooo!!!!_ ” the Ring spirit echoed in the real world, holding his head as he hunched in on himself, looking as though he were being torn apart from the inside out… and then he simply collapsed, flopped against his side of the great diorama in a dead faint, his sleeping face not that of the demon, but of the boy he had haunted and plagued for far too many years.

“I hope you can rest easier now, Bakura…” the other Yuugi breathed, and then his gaze shifted downwards, to the desert between them… and the golden pieces scattered across its surface.

For what had happened within the game had echoed outward, and the chain that hung over their heads clung to only one, solitary golden piece.

The rest of the Puzzle swallowed up by the sands.

“I am sorry, everyone, that I could not wait for you…” the spirit whispered to friends he could not see, every word coming out a little fainter as his body faded away.

For what flesh he had known in this world rested some feet away in a stone coffin, beside the bodies of his friends… and the spirit could not return to it now.

He could not return to _him_ …

 _Please, find a way out somehow_ , he said with a voice that could no longer make a sound, praying that the souls that could not follow him into the darkness would find their way back to the light. _Please… be safe… and don’t forget me_ … Wine red eyes fell shut as he strained to burn their remembered faces into the back of nonexistent lids.

But he knew that, however he might pray, _he_ would not remember. In time, the darkness would eat it all away again.

Everything.

His days in this life, and the last.

The joys and sorrows and struggles he had known.

The light and the smiles and the friends he had been blessed with.

Each one would fade back into the nothing, little by little… and he would not even know to miss them.

His only consolation was to imagine them _now_ , while he still could… the smiles of his friends… the face of his partner…

If he could only remember _that_ , he would trade every other memory to keep it…

Even the name, he had never learned.

* * *

“What the hell’s happening?!” Jounouchi cried as the group came up short, still midair.

“This isn’t right,” Yuugi breathed, eyes darting anxiously across a sky torn apart.

Everything had been black clouds and gusts of wind moments again, but then a bright light had cracked up from only _just_ ahead, and then?

The clouds all disappeared, leaving clear night skies for one, brief moment…

And then the gold started raining down.

Gigantic, jagged stones of _gold_ ripped through the sky to land with an earthquake each upon the ravaged ground below.

They had ducked and evaded more than one in their rush to make it to his other self, but… _but_ -

Yuugi… he eyed another as it fell just to their left, only to dart his gaze sharply forward as he recognized a _design_ upon the side of the stone.

 _It couldn’t be_ …

“Where could he be? Heck, where is _anybody_?!” Honda cried out, echoing a confusion that had struck them all earlier, when the broken army they had seen ahead disappeared in a literal blink, just before the stones started to fall.

“Hell if I know, but if we just keep moving forward-”

“Look!” Anzu cried as she pointed forward, to the edge of one of many jagged cliffs.

It was no different than the others surrounding it, but it was the only one in sight that featured a _person_.

A, prone, collapsed, figure.

“- _Mou hitori no boku_!!” Yuugi called before he was even conscious of recognizing the purple cape and shock of hair. He just dove forward, thoughtless, alongside his friends.

“Hey man, are you alright?! What is going o-” Jounouchi asked as he reached him first, only to jerk back because… _because_ …

“No…” Honda breathed, the sound swallowed up and drowned out by the scream that leaked out Anzu before she could fully cover her mouth with both hands, horror painted across her face. Across Jounouchi’s, and Honda’s.

Across… Yuugi’s.

 _No…_ The word echoed in his own head as he floated closer than the other three dared, to stare with unbelieving eyes, begging the sight before him to change.

To not be what it was.

The pharaoh… collapsed on his back… blood dripping from his mouth, and golden pieces scattered across his body.

Not a sign of life in him.

“…We're too late…” Jounouchi breathed, the spirit still audibly dying out of him as Anzu sobbed behind him, Honda striving to hold her up as tears ran down his own face. “It- it can’t be, right? This is just a _game_ , isn’t it? And, and this is just what happened _before_ , not _now_ -”

The effort to deny was admirable, but Yuugi? He could not embrace it.

He knew.

He knew, what the falling gold meant.

This… this body, this _bloody corpse_ was, just an echo, of what was _really_ happening somewhere outside of that world.

A mirror to what had happened… to his other self…

Yuugi couldn’t even feel his knees as he collapsed at the king’s side. Couldn’t feel his own tears as they slid down his face.

All he felt was empty… the spot where his other self’s soul had been, for so long… still empty… and he had fought so hard to it fill as he ran through that labyrinth, through that world… to get back to _him_ … 

That emptiness threatened to swallow him whole.

And the only consolation to be found was… he might, might just yet, have a way to fill it…

“…Yuugi?” Jounouchi called as his friend bent forward and began picking the pieces up off of the body.

“-Yuugi-kun?” Anzu echoed in all but a whisper, extricating herself from Honda’s side to step up beside Jounouchi. “How, how can you touch that… no, moreover, w-what are you-”

“I have to solve it…” The words were nothing but a mumble, thoughtless and background to his efforts to gather the pieces together in his hands. “I have to-”

Distantly, he was afraid. Afraid they would try to stop him. That they would try to pry him away from the pieces, as they once had in a fire. That he would have to _fight_ them, as he had then. Ignore their pleas to escape, to focus on finding a way out. On living.

And it was only when all three joined him on their knees that he paused to look up, and found his friends striving to pick up the pieces with him.

Their hands went through them, just as they went through near everything in that world, but still Anzu turned to catch his gaze, her own struck expression stubbornly set against the defeat.

“Bring him back to us, Yuugi-kun.”

“Yeah,” Honda breathed, as he crouched down on the other side of the pharaoh's body. “We have something to tell him, don’t we?”

 _Yes_ , Yuugi thought, dazedly turning his eyes back down to his hands, and what little he had built already. _We need to tell you, mou hitori no boku. We, found it. We found your name… but we need **you** to tell us what it means. So **please** , come back. Come back to me!!!_

Nothing met his calls, but it didn’t matter. He just kept building, kept moving piece after piece with that thought looping around in his head until a _slam_ and a shaking of the earth disrupted his work.

“Dammit!” Jounouchi cried as Yuugi looked up to find a great golden piece _right over their heads_ , mere yards from smashing them!

“Yuugi!” Honda called, reaching out to try and tug the boy up and _run_ , but no! Yuugi… he, he stared down at the pieces scattering from his hands, at the body of, of-

He couldn’t leave him!!

“Like _hell_ -!” Jounouchi cried as he pulled out his cards and summoned a great black dragon from the deck, sending it up to meet, slam against, and push the great piece off, so that it fell _away_ from them.

It hit the ground with a shudder that made Yuugi’s teeth clatter, but he grit them shut and ignored it. Ignored the tears still streaming down his face as he made his hands hold the Puzzle steady.

There was no time. The world was collapsing around them, falling to pieces as the Puzzle had, and, and they would disappear _with it_ -

He could practically hear his other self’s protests to their refusal to run.

He chose to believe that he was hearing the real thing. That he was _doing it_ , solving it! That he would _get him back_ -

And then, before he was even _conscious_ of it-

“You did it!!” Anzu cried with a wild relief as the Puzzle became whole again, and the guys cried out in victory. And, and Yuugi…

He didn’t even have to think about it. Putting the Puzzle back around the neck of the king came as naturally to him as pushing that last piece into place.

And it shouldn’t have worked. By all rights, the body should have been dead.

That didn’t stop those red eyes from slowly opening, though, or Yuugi from letting out a sob that drew their focus to _him_.

“… _Aibou_ …”

“ _Mou hitori no-_ ” Yuugi couldn’t get the name fully out as he choked, but he leaned over the king with a smile that he _could not_ stifle. “You came back…”

His gaze… the pharaoh’s eyes flicked somewhere between confusion and a deep, raw feeling Yuugi could not read. And he didn’t try. He just took the hand offered to him and _clutched it_ as his other self’s eyes finally moved on, raked over the others behind them.

“E-everyone…”

“Yuugi!!” Jounouchi cried as he beamed down at him, tears shining in his own eyes as he grinned. “Y-You had us damn _worried_!”

“Y-yeah,” Honda echoed as he hiccupped on a breath, rubbing his nose on his sleeve as he, and Anzu, stepped up.

“Yuugi-kun, you… we thought we had lost you,” the girl confessed with a watery smile so wide it must have hurt to hold it, but… but the words only made the king blink the confusion out of his eyes.

“I- How did I-”

“… _You_ …” That one quiet word made all five jolt, that voice trailing down their backs like ice water as they dared to look up… and found the Spirit of the Ring there. _There_ , floating just above their heads, his eyes full of hate. “You dare try to lock me away _again_?! Was three thousand years not _enough for you_?!”

“-Wait, _what_?!” It was Jounouchi who cried out, but Yuugi stiffened the same way as his disbelieving gaze shifted back to his other self, the grim determination on his face doing nothing to reassure him.

 “I would endure, a million years, if it would _stop you from getting loose_ ,” the pharaoh claimed as he struggled to his feet, his heels catching and forcing Anzu to reach out and catch his arm.

“Stop! You- You’re really wounded!”

“You should let us help you,” Yuugi agreed, his voice stilling the king just as he was about to jerk out of Anzu’s grip to stand by his own power. Instead, the pharaoh looked up, eyes questioning and still _not quite believing_ as he met Yuugi’s gaze, so close to his as the boy squeezed the hand he had not yet relinquished. “We found your name! We reached the goal! We just need you to read it and tell us _what it is_ , and-”

“ _I won’t let you_.”

The voice drew every eye back up to the spirit. He wasn’t looking at _them_ , though, but the broken desert. The great Puzzle pieces were gone, and the point of its great base was back in the sky, but the world, the fissures were still growing in the ground. The people had not reappeared. It was all _still_ collapsing around them, too far gone to be saved after having its foundations so thoroughly rocked.

The world of memory was wasting away, and taking them with it.

“-I won’t die here,” the spirit breathed, and he looked down at his hands, anxiety in his eyes. But finally decision burnt them crisp, and he looked up at them with a scream. “I will take the risk, then!! I did not want to take you with me, but _fine_! We are complete enough to break free, and I will _break out of this last true cage_ , and take all of you with me! Just to give you the honor of being crushed in my _true form_! Not in a memory, but in _reality_!”

“What does he-” Yuugi started to ask, only to flinch as a great black cloud erupted from the dark spirit’s body.

He felt a hand squeezing his, an arm wrapping protectively about him from behind, and then-

* * *

Cars screeched to a stop, people screamed. All life screeched to a stop as everyone sought the source of the great _crash_ that rang through Domino’s streets… and found a nightmare standing in the ruins of the local museum.

“ ** _Gah hahahah!!!_** ” Zorc cried as he descended – and broke – the steps leading up to the building, raising his arms out towards the true, present, _real world_ before him! “ ** _Yes!! I should have done this from the beginning! I will draw on every last shadow from the hearts of the people of this city and then the nation, and then_ -**”

“Zorc!”

The great beast turned back to the ruins that he had just left behind.

He had knocked in all that had been _left_ of the building when he erupted from it, purposely decimated every bit he could reach…

And so it must have been a joke of the gods that all five… no, all _six_ stood there alive and well before the ruins.

Mazaki Anzu and Honda Hiroto, positioned protectively in front.

Jounouchi Katsuya hovering towards the back, a weak, groggy Bakura Ryou leaning against his side.

And the vessel, Mutou Yuugi, holding his other self… no, the _king_ up by the waist, so that _he_ could hold up a simple, silver cartouche.

“Your terror ends here!!”

* * *

“Oh _thank god_!” Mutou Yui cried as she tripped through her front door, only to see her son’s profile there on the living room couch.

The boy didn’t move, but her father-in-law Sugoroku jolted out of a nearby chair to look up at her with thrown, anxious eyes. “Ah, you… you’re home-”

“Yes, I would have been back much, much sooner, but they closed the transits as soon as it all started!” she explained in a loud, almost yelling tone, tossing aside her purse and toeing out of her shoes so that she could enter the house properly. “I feared the worst the entire way home! Oh, _why didn’t you answer your phone, Yuugi-kun_?! I was so worried about you! First I get held up outside of town by news that some _black monster_ attacked Domino, then tales pop up that it disappeared again when a _giant woman_ showed up! And when the trains finally started up again I rode by the area and saw there _really was something_ wrong at the museum. You know, the same one _you went to visit today_ -”

“-Mama?”

…Yui stalled, just two steps into the house, and turned to look the other way, down the hallway that led to the kitchen.

Yuugi was standing there, holding three water bottles… blinking with something between shock and _fear_ in his eyes. “You ah, you made it back okay… Good…”

“…Yuugi-kun?” She didn’t… quite register what she was seeing. She just… turned back to the living room, and saw the boy sitting _there_ … as he finally turned to face her.

A dark-skinned boy, with the same hair, the same silhouette as _her_ boy… wearing one of her son’s familiar black shirts, and a pair of his too tight pants.

The familiar stranger picked at one of the buckles over his thigh and stared up at her. “…Hi.”

“…Mama? We can explain-”

That was as far as Yuugi got before his mother started screaming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **[twitter](https://twitter.com/Phoebeus14) :: [tumblr blog](http://bitterseaproduction.tumblr.com/) :: [music](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z) :: [ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/phoebeus)**


	2. Saturday, June 13th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Music:** [Meguru Kisetsu](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KR17pPBkGAg)

Yuugi let out an audible sigh as he stepped into his bedroom, closing his door to just-shy-of-shut.

“They’re still going at it.” 

That is, his mother was still yelling downstairs, and his grandpa still hadn’t given up on talking her down from a full blown panic.

Or at least, that was what Yuugi gathered from the tone of their voices. He hadn’t seen them, or heard their exact words, since he couldn’t step downstairs without risking getting dragged into the fight himself. But it wasn’t really necessary to hear. Yuugi could guess what they were saying easily enough.

His grandfather was trying to use what little _he_ knew to calm his mother. And it had become very clear very quickly that that would never happen so long as Mama had Yuugi and his ‘lookalike’ to focus on. So, they had been banished upstairs by his grandpa to await a verdict on what they were going to do about… _him_.

As he looked up, Yuugi saw the same anxiety he felt there in his other self’s eyes. The man leaned back in Yuugi's desk chair, his two tanned arms crossed tight across his chest. “I doubt he could explain it quickly, even if she were calm. It’s a lot to take on faith,” Atem observed, frowning at the wide expanse of carpet between them.

Yes… _Atem_.

That name, even said solely in Yuugi’s own head, was enough to send his thoughts spiraling in sharp, dizzy directions.

Atem. The true, lost name of the pharaoh… of his other self.

It was the fruit for their struggles, the pharaoh’s reward as much as their shared victory against Zorc. Somehow, the mere thought of it felt far more solid in Yuugi’s hands than the Millennium Ring had earlier that day, when an all-too-willing Bakura handed it to him.

That had been _after_ \- after the demon disappeared and that golden goddess faded away, and they had been left behind to rush away and hide from the approaching crowds, police lights, and news vans. They had dodged them all, somehow, and no one had come knocking at their door yet to connect them to the incident… but they had still had their own shock to contend with as they stared at one another in a back alley, finally registering that _six_ of them stood there, not five.

The pharaoh had had no answers for how he had ‘come to life’. Nothing beyond the vague notion that Zorc had somehow messed up. The demon had meant to free only _himself_ from that collapsing world, to solidify only _himself_ as real in this one, but his powers had been too erratic after being re-sealed in the Puzzle. He had drawn all of them out along with him, and given the lost king flesh in the bargain.

 _How_ Zorc had managed it, or why the pharaoh lingered where the demon was gone, Atem could not say.

In the end, though, it didn’t really matter.

It had happened.

The pharaoh was there, Zorc was gone, and they still needed to do something about the Ring.

That goddess had wiped Zorc from the physical realm, but he still existed. The pharaoh could feel the demon’s heart beating within the Ring, and the Puzzle. And it would always be there, so long as the Items existed.

That was why it wasn’t truly over yet…

The best Yuugi could do for now, though, was zip the Ring up with the Eye and Tauk and Rod in one of his duffel bags, and stuff them all in the farthest corner beneath his bed… right beside the gold and folded linens the pharaoh had burst to life wearing.

That was one of the first things they had seen to when Yuugi and his friends made it back to the game shop.

It had all been a rush, a race to get things in some sort of order before they faced his family. Honda had taken a weary Bakura home, but Anzu and Jounouchi lingered long enough to stall his grandpa in the shop while Yuugi snuck Atem upstairs, hid the Items, and worked out a rushed, haphazard game plan with the pharaoh.

They couldn’t hide him. It would never work. They would have to talk to his family.

What should they say?

Not sure, but limited truth and no lies felt best, both practically and morally.

How could they prove it if they didn’t believe them?

No. Zorc would probably make that unnecessary. If they believed the news, they’d probably believe them… and his grandpa knew _something_ already.

But what if his mom or grandpa didn’t react well? What if they wouldn’t accept him?

Not sure… but they would deal with that _if_ it was necessary.

Was there anything they could do, to reassure them?

It was going to be a shock no matter what they did.

How could they soften the blow, though?

Maybe, talk to one at a time – his grandpa first – and try to make a point to start from the beginning, _not_ what happened at the museum.

And it would probably help if he wasn’t dressed like he had stepped right out of one of those exhibits.

That was how Yuugi ended up tearing through his dresser for pants, while the pharaoh struggled to remember how to remove three thousand year old earrings.

It had all been one long rush, any stillness along the way tense and awestruck. Every moment was spent focused on what had happened, the next step, or what to say to friends or family or the police, if heaven forbid they showed up.

Even after they were banished to the bedroom, they had both been focused on what was going on downstairs, frowned together at the same door and the same distant argument, shared the same irritation of being left out of such a crucial exchange.

And only then, after accepting there was nothing left to do… nothing to do but _wait_ , did Yuugi turn to the man in his room… and look at him.

Really _look_ at him.

His other self, sitting there. Really there. _In the flesh_.

As alive as he was.

 _I still can’t believe it myself_ , Yuugi acknowledged, if only in his head… where only he _could_ hear it.

The stream of consciousness that had connected their hearts for the last two years remained dry, as it had been since the pharaoh first lifted the god cards before the tablet. Their victory and return had not healed that… and likely nothing ever would.

Yuugi had felt their minds drawing apart for a long time now, after all, in tune with the rhythm of the pharaoh’s reclaiming of his own identity. And now he was, truly, his own person. And the Puzzle? _It_ couldn’t connect them, either. Yuugi wasn’t even in possession of it anymore. It hung around _his_ neck now, just below Atem’s crossed arms.

Right… _Atem_. He was a man with his own name, his own identity, his own _body_ as unbelievable as that was! And his own mind… soundly unique, and separate from Yuugi’s own.

Accepting that, and all it meant, might well have crushed him…

But when Atem looked up, and met his gaze?

That was still _his other self_ who looked back at him.

Yuugi smiled for him, and the uncertainty he read in those familiar eyes ebbed away as he finally broke the silence. “Course. You… want to lie down while we wait? You have to be tired. We just got done explaining things to _Jii-chan_ when Mama came in, and before that there was getting home, and the fight. You carried those injuries over with you, after all.”

“I will be fine. I will heal with some rest, but there is no rush,” the once pharaoh insisted, the refusal to take it seriously painting a frown on Yuugi’s face… until his other self shook his head slightly, and pinned a familiar toying smile on him. “And besides, I am not the one who didn’t sleep most of the night last night because I was chasing thieves, remember?”

“That _was_ last night, wasn’t it…” Yuugi breathed, raising dazed eyes to his skylight, the left side still covered with fresh packing tape and plastic. “It feels like it was years ago already.”

“Yes…” the other echoed, turning his own attention upwards, and while he said little else? When Yuugi dragged his own gaze back down… he had to wonder if they _hadn’t_ retained some shadow of their bond. For the pharaoh had spun the chair around to look up at the skylight so that his back was to him, his face turned away… and yet, Yuugi felt the weight hanging in his other self’s mind as soundly as though it were his own.

That silent, heavy hum… it broke the spell that had kept him still, hesitant near the door.

Yuugi finally closed the distance between them.

“I know we probably have bigger things to talk about than what Mama thinks,” he started, moving his pillow and plopping down in its place at the head of the bed, where he could sit and lean over and rest his elbows on the side of his desk- share the space with his other self. Atem jerked out of his thoughts to watch him settle there with alert, curious eyes… and an expression that softened with understanding as Yuugi explained, “Zorc’s still in the Ring after all, right? And until we can get rid of it for good… is it going to be safe? I mean, it’s disappeared and popped up in Bakura-kun’s hands before, not that that’s his fault.”

“It should be fine, _aibou_ ,” the man assured, leaning back a little further in his chair to graze dark red eyes over the edge of Yuugi’s bed, and the hidden Items. “It’s not like before. He’s still there, but his spirit was shattered by Horakhty. If he recovers at all, it won’t be anytime soon. He can’t call out to anyone anymore. So as long as you and I are the only ones who know where the Ring is, no one will touch it.”

He had understood half of that already, but still Yuugi nodded for the reassurance… only for his wandering thoughts to race back into sharp focus when the pharaoh added, “And you’re wrong… your family is just as important right now as Zorc.” Atem slowly turned back to him, caught Yuugi’s gaze and trapped it with the simple, quiet intensity of his. “I am sorry for this, _aibou_. I never thought that going to the museum and unlocking my memories would result in… _this_ ,” he emphasized with a vague wave at himself, and the space between them. A gesture for what had become of him, and them, all at once. “And now this mess has invaded your home…”

Quite true. Their lives may not be in danger anymore, and the world may be just fine, but Yuugi had to admit it… neither of them had ever been quite so powerless as right then, waiting for a decision to accept or deny from his family.

That didn’t stop Yuugi from shaking his head against the claim, saying “You know that’s not how it works” and smiling when his other self raised his brows in question. “You’re talking like you caused this, or like you’ve burdened me somehow. But, don’t you remember? You’re the one who said it, after all. There _are_ no burdens or duties between you and me. If you need help, I help you, just like I know you’d help me.” Like he had countless times before. Sure, they hadn’t seen _this_ particular problem coming, but that didn’t mean Yuugi would abandon or blame him now! No, Yuugi’s grin was an easy one as he rested his chin in one hand and leaned further into the desk. “Whatever Mama decides to do, I’ll stand by you… and I really think _Jii-chan_ will, too.”

“ _Aibou_ …” The gleam in his other self’s gaze was more touched than surprised… a distant relief to the former vessel. It showed how, however guilty he might feel now, he still understood that Yuugi was his partner, and that he wasn’t alone.

It made it easier to touch on the elephant in the room as Yuugi looked closely at his other self, watched his expression as he said, “And I know this has to be hard on you. You haven’t really talked much, directly I mean, but I know you think of Mama as your family, too.” There was a point when Atem had thought he _was_ Yuugi, after all, and those inherited links of affection had never been limited to their friends alone.

His other self stiffened, his expression shifting through various, unclear emotions before finally solidifying as discomfort. “That’s true, but… I haven’t thought of her as my own mother for a long time. We’ve known for a while that that isn’t true, after all. And I know that I had kin of my own, now.”

Yuugi blinked through that thought, quickly sitting upright as he stumbled into the recollection. “ _Right_ , now that we found your name and went through that world, you must remember your _own_ mother!” It was pretty obvious, once he thought about it, but actively considering it was jarring… and strangely exciting. Because, what had she been like? And, what had his _father_ been like? He had been a pharaoh, Yuugi knew that much, but what sort of king had he been? What sort of father? Had Atem had siblings, or been the only heir all along? Had he been lonely, or always surrounded by precious people who he trusted? Had he had friends to play with growing up, and turn to for support as he took his crown? Had he played games with them, had favorite ones? How had he spent his days, and what sort of life had he lived? What dreams had he had for himself, and for his people and country?

Yuugi was curious. Curious about his other self. Curious as he hadn’t been since… well, since that hospital roof a couple months ago, when he first asked him who he was, and got nothing in return but uncertainty, mystery, and promises that he still treasured, but had long since resigned to impossibility. He had set that curiosity aside ever since, but his other- no, _Atem_ knew who he was now, didn’t he? He could actually _answer_ him now!

… But… Atem’s expression didn’t lighten, and he didn’t offer any answers. No, if anything, he grew somber. Not with some old pain or grief, like Yuugi might have expected, but with a far more familiar emotion…

Discontent.

“No, _aibou_. I do not.”

Yuugi… stared, not quite comprehending… only managing a quiet “Huh?” when Atem continued to not lift his frown from the table. “W-what do you mean?”

Slowly, Atem raised his eyes and met his with a sober flatness that made Yuugi’s chest go tight. “I don’t remember her… I don’t remember much of anything, beyond the palace as I saw it in that world, and who I met in there, and the fights we had… and now my name, of course.”

“But-” _That made no sense!_ Yuugi wanted to yell, but he couldn’t get the words out. And he had to gather his wits before he could manage to ask, “Didn’t we get your memories back? I mean, I thought that was what we were doing, taking the god cards there, and…”

He trailed off, letting the silence hang until Atem explained, “I don’t know if it was because Bakura- _Zorc_ interrupted my efforts with his game, or because he threw us out of it again, or because I shattered the Puzzle again… but I never got them back. My memories. All I know, I know because that world showed it to me… I, don’t think any of it went the way it was meant to,” he confessed, his frown growing ever heavier on his face. “I never saw what became of Akhenaden after he betrayed us, or my priests, or friends. I know some of them died, but some of them just… disappeared, right along with that world. And I have no idea if the game’s version would have even been the truth of what happened back when I lived, and died.”

Yuugi, opened his mouth… and slowly shut it again, dizzy with the shock of such a disappointment.

All of that… all that they went through, all that his other self had fought to find in the last few months, and _now_ …

Whatever Atem saw in Yuugi’s face when he looked up cracked through his somber stillness, painted his face with alarm until Yuugi mumbled “…I’m sorry.”

The alarm hissed out of Atem slowly, and finally he shook his head, a soft smile on his lips as his gaze cradled Yuugi’s. “I am not, _aibou_. It’s disappointing, yes, but earlier today I thought I had lost you and our friends, and that you were gone. That I would never see you again. That I would _forget_ you.”

Yuugi sucked in a breath, tensing as he remembered… the king, bloody, dead at his feet, gold splashed across his body and certainty in his own chest that his other self was slipping away, disappearing-

The memory came and went in a flash as Atem shifted, made Yuugi blink back into focus to find him there, leaning his crossed arms against the desk- their elbows _almost_ brushing as his other self’s eyes demanded his attention, that he notice the ease and gratitude in his smile. “I know it didn’t go as we expected, but I hope you’ll forgive me for saying I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Yuugi couldn’t speak around the ball in his throat, but he shook his head, his lips aching from a smile he didn’t remember forming, now stretching his mouth wide. “No… I understand.” When he remembered _that_ , and he thought about what _might_ have happened… “I’m grateful, too.” There was so much balled up in his heart that he wanted to say, to express as regret and relief, but the best he could do was accept his other self’s true acceptance and mirror it back as joy. “We did it, after all, didn’t we? We stopped Zorc, and found your name… _Atem_.”

“Yes…” something shifted through the pharaoh’s eyes at the name- at hearing his partner say it, that Yuugi did not understand. But his manner was still relaxed as he dropped his gaze down to their hands, both pairs resting on the desktop. He looked like he was trying to gather his thoughts, to say something… but the ease of tension between them, the sudden silence… the fact that Yuugi _felt_ it when Atem’s breathed out a sigh? That it stirred the hairs on the back of his arm, and tickled his skin?

It all brought it right back into focus. He wasn’t just sharing another of his countless talks with his other self, one of them ever half-air, half-real by the virtue of magic. He was… he was _there_ , sitting right beside him, a strange, living melding of intimately familiar and completely foreign features. The eyes, his face, the way he held himself… that was all a given. But, though their postures may obscure it, and their toes both brushed the carpet, Yuugi thought that maybe, he might be just a _little... taller_ than the man sitting beside him. And- and _exact_ the tone of the skin on Atem’s bare arms, thick with lean muscles he himself did not possess… the fact that Yuugi could not see _through_ that arm? The fact that he could hear his other self _breathe_ , feel the warmth of his body leaning in close to his?

It all pulsed through his head with a reassuring constancy, and a rising insistence until he just… he just couldn’t _take it_. He didn’t know what to do with the odd delight thrumming through him, but-

“But we should consider what we’ll do next, if they do decide to-” Atem cut himself off as he belatedly noticed Yuugi shifting… and blinked in the face of fingers moving towards his face- _touching_ his cheek.

Yuugi could hear his other self suck in a breath as warm red eyes went wide. Wider than most would likely believe possible, but he ignored it, focused on catching skin between his fingers as Atem stumbled for words. “ _Ai-aibou_ , what are you-”

The pharaoh flinched, pulled away.

Yuugi had pinched him.

Yuugi shared a few, baffled blinks with him, then broke out in a shy laugh as he finally registered his other self staring at him, rubbing his cheek. “Sorry, I just… I couldn’t quite believe you were real, you know?”

It didn’t really make sense, and he knew it.

And yet, Atem slowly nodded as he recovered his composure.

“ _Aa_ , well… I suppose I can understand that. But if you wanted proof, you went about it the wrong way. Here-”

“Huh? _Hey_ -mfff!” Yuugi stopped scratching his nose just fast enough to _see it_ as Atem reached up and pinched _both_ of his cheeks. The pressure was light, and barely twisted, but still Yuugi cried out. He jerked away from those fingers – _rough, slightly calloused?_ – to fall back on his bed, elbows keeping him from hitting the mattress as he put up his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, I give! I get it!”

And Atem? He laughed. Just a small, rolling chuckle that he barely opened his mouth for, but still the sound soothed something in Yuugi he hadn’t been conscious of. It soothed him, and when he rolled upright again, he shared an easy smile with his other self.

“As long as you do… I _am_ real, _aibou_.”

“I know…” And he did. Always had, really, but he had just wanted the comfort of checking.

And he had to wonder if Atem knew that, given the fond edge to his smile. But Yuugi shook his head against the urge to ask, instead leaning his arms back against the desk. “Anyways, you remember what happened during the _game_ , right? I want to hear about that! I mean, we spent what felt like days trying to get into that palace to see you, and you had those battles. And you said that you were playing against the other Bakura the entire time, too? In the real world?”

“Right,” Atem confirmed, and what was left of Yuugi’s tension fell away as he saw no sign of distress in his other self at the reminder. No, the pharaoh remained relaxed as he mirrored Yuugi’s stance, reclaiming their former position before pinning his partner with one of those smirks that were his alone. “I could go over that, what happened in the game, and out of it… but only if you’ll tell me about _you_ , and how you came to find me.”

Yuugi grinned.

“Deal.”

* * *

“So then you saw him out in the market?”

“Yup! It was a huge shock for all of us! You should ask the others about it later, too. None of us expected to see _Kaiba-kun_ in that place.”

“No, I understand. That surprised me, too, when I first ‘awoke’ in the throne room. I never expected to find him, or Isis, or _Jii-chan_ there.”

“What about me where?”

The two boys jerked upright at the new voice. Atem swerved around in the desk chair to see that, indeed, it was Yuugi’s grandfather… and mother, in the doorway.

The former was grinning curiously at them both, but Yuugi’s mom… she was frowning at them, and the anxiety Atem read in her eyes was honestly far more disturbing to him than anger ever would have been. It left him stiff, silent as his partner rose and slid out from between the bed and desk with a quiet “ _J-Jii-chan_ , Mama, are you done talking?”

“Between us, yes,” Yuugi’s mother answered, uncertainty warring with displeasure across her features as Sugoroku gave humming nod.

“Yes, of course we might have some questions for you yet, but I think your mother understands as well as I do now what’s been going on.”

“’Believes it’ you mean,” she corrected, only to sigh as she rubbed at her brow. “But it’s hard not to after what I just saw on the news. The channel logo was there and everything, and I saw the damage myself, so I know it wasn’t a movie, but _still_ …”

“Yes, Mama, it happened…” Yuugi confirmed quietly, only to jerk back a step at the glower his mother shot him.

“Then what were you _doing there_?! If what _Otou-san_ said was true, you _knew_ you were walking into- into _something_ like that, why did you do it on purpose?!”

Atem couldn’t deny it. Something long ingrained into his psyche in relation to Mutou Yui made him tense up in the face of her displeasure. But the moment she focused that look on his partner, he was on his feet before he was conscious of it, stepping forward to- not to _confront_ , but to take her attention by moving to Yuugi’s side and saying, “It was on my behalf. If you are angry about us going ther-”

“I am well aware of that,” Yui interrupted, indeed turning her frown on him… though she stalled for a breath as though to assess him before saying, “And from what I have been told, you are the dead or, _not_ dead spirit of a _pharaoh_ that’s thousands of years old, who came from the golden puzzle my son has worked to solve half of his life, and been wearing pretty much since he started high school… and you were _possessing_ him through it?”

Atem just stared, mind racing to come up with _some_ sort of reply, if only a confirmation because _yes_ , that was true. But he could tell at single look that Yuugi would _not_ be fond of that, true or not. And when Yuugi tried to fill the silence for him with a quiet “Well, _yeah_ , that’s basically it, but it wasn’t pos-” Yui was quick to rush on.

“And as you say, Yuugi and his school friends were only there in that collapsing building, and in apparently a number of _other_ dangerous situations lately, because of _you_?” 

Atem didn’t really recall losing his breath. One moment Yui was saying that, the next he had no air in his lungs, and he was dizzy, and the slightly blurred face of the woman blurred more, a faint hint of concern just visible beneath her anger.

“ _Mama_.” Yuugi’s voice was a safety wire jerking him back to firm ground, and Atem blinked back into proper focus to find his partner there, a step before _him_ now, his expression stern as he stared down his mother. “It is _not_ his fault. My friends and I went to the museum on our own, were never forced-”

“And did you think-” Yui cut in over Yuugi’s defense and Atem’s silent awe, forcing them both to look at her, and just listen as she demanded, “Did you ever think to _discuss_ taking these kinds of risks with your family, and the people who love you?!”

“Well I, uhm-” Yuugi struggled to speak, clearly taken aback by his mother’s retort- and not so much the words, as the genuine distress clear in Yui’s face.

“What did you think would have happened if you _hadn’t_ made it home tonight?! Would I and your grandfather even know what had happened? Would I have had _anything_ to tell your father when he found out?!”

Yuugi… didn’t answer. He just shut his mouth, and stared at the carpet between his feet and his mother’s, jaw tense with shame and anger and things he dared not say.

And all Atem could do was look on, helpless to intervene… and wanting to. Wanting to defend his Yuugi’s courage, and their friends’, to explain all that they had done for him, and for so many others. Wanting to brush his mind against his partner’s and reassure him with his own feelings, as he once could… and if he couldn’t do that, then at least take his hand, and try expressing the same sentiments through touch.

He didn’t do any of that, though.

There was only a beat to do anything at all, really, before Sugoroku stepped forward and quietly tried to calm Yui.

She didn’t look any happier afterwards, but she did take a slow breath… and turn to Atem in place of Yuugi.

It shouldn’t have been such a relief.

“And you? What are you planning to do now?”

...It was more than obvious he wasn’t welcome _there_ , but the way Yuugi’s head jerked up, and the desperate look on his face? It stalled Atem’s impulse to speak of staying, or not.

Instead, he turned and pinned his attention on Yui, and said “I still need to make arrangements with certain people I would need help from. But, ultimately, I should be going to Egypt as soon as possible… and I don’t expect I will be back.”

He heard Yuugi suck in a breath, but he did not turn to look at him. He couldn’t chance it. Not under Yui’s gaze. Not while he could see some of the discontent fading out of her with this news. “Egypt?”

“Yes… I am sorry I can’t tell you when. I, didn’t expect to need plans, so suddenly.”

“Yes,” Yuugi cut in, prompting Atem to hesitantly dare a glance at him. But all he saw in his partner’s expression was uncertainty, and a wariness of what his mother would think as he waved between himself and Atem. “We never expected him to, _not_ be linked to me, and we didn’t even know if we would need to go to Egypt.”

“We thought the museum might be the end of things,” Atem agreed, though in truth he had always known, hadn’t he, that it would all end in Egypt?

The possibility _had_ been there, though, that he would not need to physically venture there after getting his memories. Now, though, he _had_ no proper memories. And the physical journey had only grown _more_ necessary.

He doubted it would help to be too specific with Yuugi’s mother, though.

Thankfully for all involved, Sugoroku took that moment to step forward with a nod. “Yes, I’m sure this is all confusing, Yui-chan, but from what I gathered from our talk earlier, the boys are nearly as shocked by all of this as we are, and what’s done is done. And I don’t think the boys will be doing anything _else_ dangerous, correct?”

“No,” Atem responded instantly, prompting a delayed echo from Yuugi with an added “Most of our problems came from that monster you saw on the news and, it’s gone.”

Or, near enough. But again, no point in being too specific.

And Yui, for her part, looked slowly between the two… and sighed, the very tone of that sound prompting a surprised release of tension from the two boys before her. “Fine… I don’t like it, but if what _Otou-san_ told me is true, it sounds like we have you to thank for _saving_ Yuugi-kun’s life as much as endangering it… and there is the fact that you saved _Otou-san_ before, too.”

Atem blinked, sharing an uncertain glance with his partner before both focused on a smiling Sugoroku.

Was, she talking about when Sugoroku dueled Kaiba, or when Pegasus stole his soul?

It didn’t matter, the point was Yui had somehow gone in a few seconds from interrogating him, to frowning to herself as she mumbled, “I think we have an extra futon set in the downstairs closet, I could set it up in the living room, or maybe the game storage room-”

“Um-” All three turned to Yuugi, who was raising his hand as though he were in class. “I’d rather he stay up here.” He, said it so simply, without any emphasis or edge, that Atem could only blink through the uncertain relief in his gut, and not say a word… at least until his partner added, “He’s a guest, right? So he should take the bed, and I can take the futon.”

 _Then_ Atem glowered. “You will _not_. I am not taking your bed from you, _aibou_. I can sleep-”

“ _Aibou_?” Yui echoed, earning an instant snap-shut of Atem’s mouth as he stared back at her. When no response was forthcoming, she quickly shook her head, already moving for the door. “ _Fine_. I need to start dinner, so work it out between the two of you, Yuugi-kun. We all know you’ll do as you please, anyways, no matter what we might think.”

“ _Mama_ …” Yuugi grumbled at her back, flinching around the guilt trip so aptly aimed at him.

Atem mumbled a quiet ‘thank you’ in her wake, but Sugoroku just laughed.

“Oho, I think you may have earned that one a little bit, my boy!”

Yuugi buried his face in one hand with a sputtery sound that made Atem’s lips twitch… until Sugoroku stepped up to _him_ , and stole his full attention. “As for me, I have just one thing to ask… Did you mean what you just said, about Egypt?”

Something in the room’s air shifted from frayed and scattered to utterly still at that question, and Atem could only stare back into the suddenly serious eyes of the elder Mutou… sharply aware of his partner _right there_ , watching them.

He nodded. “Yes… I’ve known a long time that that is where my journey has been leading me. I will need to speak to some friends we have in Egypt, to figure out if this changes anything, but I doubt it.” They still had to do something about the Items, after all, and… _He_ …

Sugoroku just kept staring at him, gaze intense but impossible to read… until finally he nodded. “Very well. Then the one demand _I_ make on the two of you is, whenever you arrange it, I will be going to.” He missed the shock on Atem’s face as he turned to Yuugi, pinning him down just as soundly with a look. “Your mother is right about one thing. You shouldn’t be going off and taking risks on your own. If you feel it is something you have to do, though, you keep your family informed, understand?”

“Yes, _Jii-chan_ ,” Yuugi mumbled, soundly dazed in the face of his grandfather’s demand, until Sugoroku freed him to focus on Atem with a sudden grin.

“Now then, one last thing. We got interrupted by Yui-chan before you could tell me downstairs… What am I to call you?”

“-Atem,” he answered, the name coming to him before he even really thought about it- followed by a surreal rush because he _had_ one to give. “My name is Atem.”

Sugoroku nodded, and offered out a hand. “Then, it’s good to finally properly meet you, Atem-kun.”

It was silly, but he couldn’t help the grin that broke out across his face as he took the man’s hand in a firm clasp, and nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

He tripped forward as Sugoroku pounded him on the back with a bark of laugh.

“ _Haha_ , don’t be silly! Like you haven’t been calling me _Jii-chan_ this whole time! Don’t you go backing out now just because you’ve been caught red handed!”

“Yes, sir,” he coughed out, prompting another laugh from the man as he turned to go with a wave to Yuugi.

“I’ll go unpack that futon… Yuugi! Make sure you and Atem-kun come down for dinner!”

…Yuugi didn’t answer.

Atem didn’t notice at first, as he struggled to catch his breath and right his feet… but it wasn’t long before his gaze shot to his partner, and he noticed how still he was, staring at the door with a dazed, vague sort of expression that scratched at Atem’s nerves until he finally had to ask. “ _Aibou_? Are you alright?”

He reached out with a hesitant hand for the boy’s arm… only to jolt back as Yuugi suddenly turned and jumped at him.

- _!_

Arms caught him around the neck and back and he nearly lost his footing again as his cheek scratched against - _Yuugi’s_?! – and the weight of a full body slammed into his chest.

The impact must has slammed his heart up into his throat, because his pulse went wild with the shock and-

“ _I can’t believe it!!_ ”

Atem blinked against the yell that had rung out right into his ear, making him see stars as he mumbled, “…What?”

The boy he had never recovered enough to grasp stepped back, and suddenly he wasn’t being hugged but grasped by both arms by a beaming, ecstatic Yuugi. “I just- I know she’s mad, but Mama’s letting you stay! And _Jii-chan’s_ being cool and, I know we still have a lot to work out but _you can stay_ , as long as you’re still here! We have to call the others! They’ll want to know everything went okay, and- I just don’t believe it!”

Atem stared back at him as Yuugi rushed through his happy spiel, his insides quickly warming with the words and the affection and the relief flowing through him… but his expression remained steady in its shock, and its seriousness… as he finally found his voice enough to say, “Well, if you can’t believe it's real, I know how to fix that.”

He reached up and pinched both of Yuugi’s cheeks until the boy sputtered with laughter and slapped his hands off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **[twitter](https://twitter.com/Phoebeus14) :: [tumblr blog](http://bitterseaproduction.tumblr.com/) :: [music](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z) :: [ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/phoebeus)**


	3. Sunday, June 14th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Music:** [Beneath the Mask](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_fc_AZmaKs)

Yuugi groaned in useless protest as his alarm clock blared away over his head, finally reaching up to turn it off with a sharp smack. It gave a loud _clang_ as the force of the hit knocked it behind his headboard, but Yuugi just grumbled and turned over to smother himself face first in his pillow.

At least the thing wasn’t still going off when it fell…

“You’ll fall back asleep if you stay like that, _aibou_.”

“I know…” he mumbled, the words muffled, and any potential follow-up eclipsed by the wordless note that thrummed through his head as he realized with a start-

That voice _hadn’t_ been in his head.

Yuugi jerked up, supporting himself on an arm and elbow as he craned around to- to blink… at his other self.

He was just sitting there, at his desk, completely opaque and- and wearing the same clothes as yesterday, when they… Right.

 _Right_.

“Wh-what are yo-” Yuugi cut himself off with a yawn, sucking in the runaway air as he sat up. “What are you doing up already?”

“I woke up awhile ago, so I just put away the futon and read while I waited for the alarm to go off,” he- _Atem_ explained, lifting his book and tilting it so that Yuugi could see the cover.

It was familiar enough; the book was one of a few Yuugi bought a few weeks ago. But the sight of it _then_ blinked through his groggy confusion, and the teen’s expression smoothed out, alert but somber as he registered what Atem had been reading.

 _...Right_.

Yuugi pulled himself out of bed to come over and hover at his other self’s shoulder as Atem replaced the book on the desktop.

A study of the Egyptian Book of the Dead.

The open pages displayed a photograph of a painted wall on the right, and a description of its contents on the left. Yuugi skimmed over the passages as he asked, “Can you read any of that now?” Sure, they had the author’s interpretation available, but that wasn’t the point.

Atem remained silent for some moments, combing over the content with his gaze… then eventually gave a hesitant nod. “In a sense… not with every photo, or even most of them. I couldn’t tell you why the hieroglyphics even mean what they mean when I _do_ know, but sometimes I just… _know_ , what it’s saying.”

“Like, with Malik-kun’s back? …I guess that makes sense. Even people who get amnesia can speak and read languages they knew before, right? It could be like that.”

His answer was a simple nod and a suddenly tense expression, and the impulse to try and siphon the emotion from his other self’s guarded face smacked Yuugi upside the face. He just didn’t know _how_.

Atem must have sensed his staring, though. His gaze flicked up, and when they locked eyes he instantly smiled and leaned back in his chair, away from the book and towards him. “Anyways, you’re up now, right?”

“Yup,” Yuugi smiled, half-humoring his other self’s efforts to cheer himself, half-distracted by the way Atem’s lean-back was brushing his hair against his arm.

It tickled.

Yuugi scratched at the spot as he turned for the closet, opening it to fish out some clothes. “And I’m sure Mama wants us downstairs for breakfast. We shouldn’t eat too much, though. We’re meeting everyone at Burger World for an early lunch.”

“Yes… You said Otogi’s going to be there, too?”

“Uh-huh, Anzu-chan called him after she and Jounouchi-kun left yesterday. He already knows you’re okay, but he’s probably just as anxious as the others to see you. To sit down and talk and hear what our plans are.”

“For Egypt?” The slight squeak of the desk chair righting prompted Yuugi to turn, and he saw that Atem had straightened in his seat, confusion painted across his face. “But I already called Isis yesterday. She said she’d try and arrange the trip as soon as possible, but there’s not much to discuss until she does.”

“Well, yeah,” Yuugi matched Atem frown for baffled frown as he unbuttoned his pajama top. “But we should still explain that to them. And I didn’t really mean _that_ , anyways. I was thinking more what you would be doing here, in the meantime.”

“In Domino?” Atem crossed his arms as he watched Yuugi change, never reacting or commenting on the act as he kept his questioning gaze on his partner’s face. “Didn’t we cover that already, as well? As long as everyone is fine with it, I will stay here, in the house.”

“Well _yeah_ , of course! But you can’t come to school with me. Maybe after exams next month, if… if you’re still here-”

“ _Ah_ , you were worried how I would pass my time while you and our friends are at school.”

That was… _part_ of it, yes.

But Yuugi still stalled at the way Atem phrased that, his pants on but both shirts still in hand as he stared, not reacting as his other self shot him a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry, I have enough games here to keep me busy through the New Year. And I can reread the books you bought for me. You spent most of your allowance on them, after all.”

“I was interested in them, too,” Yuugi assured, eying the line of Egyptian history books on his desk until he pulled his usual black shirt over his head. “But I was thinking more what we should say when you go out. No one’s going to bother us at Burger World, but eventually somebody in the shop or a duelist or one of Mama’s friends is bound to ask who you are.”

“Exactly, that’s why I was focusing on the games and books. I can just stay here.”

Yuugi _stopped_ , fingers catching over the second-to-last button of his overshirt as he looked back up at his other self.

And Atem stopped in his turn at whatever he saw in Yuugi’s expression, a dismissing hand caught in the air mid-wave… and hanging there.

“But... you said it could be weeks.”

“…Yes?”

Yuugi’s stare continued to bore into him, as if seeking... no, _demanding_ some sign that Atem was joking. And when he finally accepted that that wasn’t the case? He attacked the rest of his buttons with a vengeance.

“No.”

Atem grimaced, turned his frown to the desk. “You said it yourself, there would be questions. If I go out, people will ask who I am and how I’m tied to the family, and when we don’t answer-”

“ _No_ , you can’t just stay in here.”

“It will be fine, _aibou_. I have more than enough to keep me occupied-”

Yuugi interrupted him with the sharp slam of his closet door, instantly spinning on his heel to close the distance between him and his other self. Atem didn’t lean away, but he still tensed with the clear effort not to when Yuugi stopped in front of him... only to plant two firm, anchoring hands on his shoulders.

Atem sucked in a breath at the touch, but Yuugi didn’t even acknowledge it. Just glared down into startled crimson eyes.

“ _Mou hitori no boku_ , you are free to walk around and go where you like for the first time ever, without any need to worry about me or where I want to go or need to do… and you want to stay here? _No_ , you can’t take this chance for granted. No matter how long you’re going to be here, it’s not going to be long enough.”

He said it… said it so matter-of-factly, anyone would think Yuugi gave the fact as much thought as the day’s weather. But he felt his throat catch around the admittance. Subtly, and without any vocal hitch in his voice, but _still-_

And he swore he saw something vague and strained pass through Atem’s eyes… but he didn’t linger on it. Couldn’t.

He had to focus.

Yuugi’s expression softened as his tone went from firm to beseeching in the space of a breath. “You should go out, have fun. Explore the city, and see our friends. It’s not everyday that you get the chance to talk to them without _me_ there, after all!”

Atem grimaced, the suggestion striking him as _unappetizing_ rather than intriguing, at least as far as Yuugi could tell. Before he could ask about it, though, his other self dropped his eyes… and his gaze caught on Yuugi’s clothes. 

A smile flickered at his lips.

“ _Aibou_ , is that what you’re going to wear?”

“Huh?” Yuugi looked down, releasing Atem’s shoulders as he stepped back and pulled self-consciously at his shirt collar. “What’s wrong with it?”

“It’s your school uniform.”

“So?”

Atem raised an amused gaze and the two stared at each other… until finally the gears caught in Yuugi’s head and his face flushed with comprehension.

Right.

 _Sunday_.

“-I forgot,” he grumbled, turning to his closet to a chorus of chuckles at his back.

When Atem didn't stop fast enough for Yuugi’s liking, he turned and tossed a just-stripped school shirt at the laughing king.

It hit him square in the chest.

There was no force behind the hit, but Atem - and Yuugi - went instantly still and watched as the shirt fell and landed in his lap.

The result should have been a given, but there was still a dazed quality to the way Atem stared at the top.

And Yuugi just, smiled… a warm feeling rising up in his chest and tingling in his fingertips.

He turned back to the closet without another word.

* * *

“Whatever you say, you are _not_ staying in the house!”

“ _Otou-san_ , there’s no need to yell,” Yui admonished lightly, setting a refilled tea cup before her father-in-law.

Sugoroku for his part had the decency to look abashed, but he gave the emotion only enough time to toss her a “Sorry, Yui-chan” before returning his frown to Atem, making the ‘younger’ man freeze all over again. “But really, you were really planning to live like some shut-in for what might be the rest of the summer?”

“It makes the most sense. We won’t have to dodge questions or make up lies if people don’t see me.” Atem kept his tone calm, unruffled, but he couldn’t help the impulse to glance to his right as he spoke. Yuugi hadn’t said anything since forcing the topic with a ‘casual’ mention of Atem’s plans, and the uprooted king was ever wary that his partner might jump into the conversation with a surprise attack of his own.

Yuugi wasn’t even looking at them, though. He was just nibbling away at his boiled fish… and eyeing Atem’s out of the corner of his eye.

Did he want it? Or had Yuugi noticed that Atem had been avoiding the fish since his first, experimental bite? That wasn’t good. If _Yuugi_ noticed, then his mother was sure to eventually, too.

“What, you think it’s that hard to come up with a cover story? I put one together for you before I even went to bed last night!”

All three instantly looked up to stare at Sugoroku, blinking at his smug grin until Yuugi finally broke the silence.

“You… did?”

“Of course!” The man took up his chopsticks and waffled down a good fourth of his rice… dragging the moment out until curiosity turned to vague irritation, and he put them all out of their misery with the soft clatter of his bowl hitting the table. “We’ll just say he’s a visiting cousin!”

“A… cousin…” Yui echoed, squinting skeptically as Yuugi turned to mirror Atem’s baffled stare right back at him.

“As in, _Otou-san_ has a brother or sister, and Atem is-”

“No no, not your _father_ ,” Sugoroku protested, thumping himself on the chest as he emphasized. “ _Me_! Renju grew up in this area, so no one in the know is going to believe that he had some sibling no one knew about until now. Not without making some very rude presumptions about me and my behaviour, at least.”

“ _Jii-chan_ -” Yuugi cried, covering his face as Atem just grimaced, but the story went on despite them.

“But _I_ didn’t come from here! I didn’t move into the area until you were about to be born, Yuugi, so who’s to say that I don’t have some brother kicking around somewhere I never mentioned, and that he doesn't have a family of his own?” Sugoroku waggled his brows at them, only to pause and scratch at his beard with a thoughtful look. “Even Renju might buy that, actually…”

“Your distance from Renju-san is not something to take advantage of,” Yui admonished, shooting Sugoroku a _look_.

An old, stale stiffness popped up in the air, and Atem found what must be the sixth thousandth reason to be thankful for his partner as Yuugi quickly cut the tension. “But, Atem’s supposed to be this brother’s grandson? Isn’t that a little too distant to believe?”

Yuugi turned to look at him, gaze sliding over his face and hair and- Yes. Even with the contrast of their arms resting right beside each other, Atem had to admit _second cousins_ was probably pushing it.

“Who’s going to question it?” Sugoroku countered, though, shrugging as he reached for his tea, only to hold it up without drinking it as he spoke. “It’s not like people are going to be on the lookout for some magical truth. All we need is a basic, understandable explanation, and everyone will accept it. Like so-” Tea sloshed as Sugoroku rounded the table in astonishingly little time, only to make Atem tense and drop his chopsticks as a heavy arm fell on his shoulder. “Oh, have I never mentioned Atem-kun?!” The old man said in a loud, mock-cheerful voice, waving his tea cup in the stove’s direction. “He’s my brother Akio’s precious grandson! He finally decided to get a look at life outside of Osaka, and came to help out his old uncle!” Leaning over into the space between the boys, Sugoroku mimed as if he were whispering to Yuugi- a move made all the more ridiculous when Yuugi leaned away from the hand. “Looks mysterious, huh? Gets that from his mother. _Foreign_ , you know. But she makes the best fried chicken you could ask for.”

“…If that was another jab at my dinner last night-” Yui cut in warningly, earning a bark of laughter from the man. The volume right in his ear made Atem flinch, and when Sugoroku finally released him he wilted back in his chair.

A hand patting at his arm in a sympathetic manner sent a soft ease through his chest and granted Atem the energy to _at least_ look up and give his partner a grateful smile… until Yuugi broke their gaze to face his retreating grandfather.

“But, Atem doesn’t sound like he’s from Osaka.”

“His mother’s influence,” Sugoroku dismissed, sitting back down to his breakfast. “She grew up somewhere else in Japan- Kyoto, maybe.”

“And what about school?” Yui jumped in, frowning from Atem to her father-in-law with clear disapproval. “Why would any normal boy be on a family visit in the middle of the term?”

“Dropped out to focus on the family business.” Yuugi’s mother looked like she had just swallowed a fly, but Atem couldn’t focus on her when Sugoroku was using a chopstick to point at him. “We can just say that you, Atem-kun, decided to drop out of your last year of high school so that you could focus on taking over your family’s shop when you turn twenty. Prioritizing hands-on experience over textbook learning and college exams and all of that. You wouldn’t be the first to do it, by any means.”

“No…” Atem agreed, waiting until the man lowered his chopstick to ask, “And how did that bring me to you, and Domino?”

“Is that not obvious? _Apprenticeship_! You came to learn the ropes here at Kame Game! To give you a look at how other shops are run!” Sugoroku shook his head, clearly baffled that Atem couldn’t put that together on his own… only to belatedly soften as he waved at the space between them. “Oh, and to visit me and Yuugi, of course.”

“Right… and my… ‘family’ shop. Is it a game shop, too?”

Sugoroku… paused mid-chew, and stared at him.

It was at least ten seconds before they all switched from curious to exasperated.

“This whole convoluted story, and that is the one thing you forget to think up?” Yui sighed. “What if someone asks what the store is? What it’s called?”

“Well-” Sugoroku started, clearly trying to think as he talked, only to get instantly cut off.

“Textiles.”

Atem, Yui, and Sugoroku, all turned at once to Yuugi.

Who just shrugged at their baffled looks. “That sounds more believable than another game shop, right? There’s hundreds of textile shops out there, and people won’t likely ask much about it. Even if they do, we can claim it doesn’t have a proper listed name, just ‘Mutou Textiles’ or something. And I could buy that for you,” he tacked on, facing Atem specifically with a sheepish edge to his grin.

Atem blinked… slowly raising a brow. “You picture me running a fabric and crafts shop?”

His answer was a playful nudge in the shoulder. Atem jerked and rubbed his arm, but he never tensed as he had with Sugoroku. “You know what I mean! You could sell that if you have to. Show off something that would convince people you know what you’re doing. You’re good with stuff like that.”

“I’m not sure managing a few good origami patterns makes a textile shop owner, _aibou_.”

Yuugi shrugged and went back to his fish, striving to hide a grin around the point of his chopsticks.

But Atem saw it.

Since he was watching.

“And you said your friends won’t be able to bring you to Egypt until the end of the summer term?”

Atem blinked out of his daze to turn and see Yui looking at him, a neutral sort of regard on her face.

Beside him, Atem heard Yuugi go still.

“Yes, if not later. It may end up being closer to the end of August. Isis isn’t sure how easily she can get me a… passport.” His hands tensed into fists, even as they rested on his thighs. He was afraid that Yui would make some comment about that. Atem had skirted around it as much as possible, but there was no denying that they were talking about identification forgery. It was the only option he _had_ , after all.

But would Yui understand and consider that an acceptable excuse?

He wasn’t sure… but when she spoke again, pouring herself some fresh tea, she said, “That’s fine, but if it is going to be that long, and this is the story all of you decide to go with, I expect you to help _Otou-san_ in the shop.” She put down the teapot and set a severe stare on Atem. “Even without this cover story, a young man who decides to dodge school had better be working, even if he _was_ once some foreign king.”

The bafflement behind the jab was impossible to miss, but Atem stared through it.

That… _wasn’t_ the lecture he had been expecting.

And when the silence was finally broken, it was by Yuugi- raising his hand slightly. “Um, does that school alternative work for me, too?”

Yuugi grimaced the moment his mother’s ire turned on him, but Atem just raised a brow at his partner’s profile.

Had he done that on purpose?

“You _would_ like that, wouldn’t you?” Yui gave a long-suffering sigh, shaking her head as she turned back to her food. “Did you even finish your history readings this week, with all of your museum trips and your magic and demons and, copying yourself?”

“I _read_! I just… the school books aren’t as good as the history books you loan us- _me_.” Yuugi jolted out of his own argument to shoot Atem a side glance, but he could only stare back, eyes wide as he looked between the mother and son.

He didn’t think it would help anything to explain to Yui that she had been unknowingly supporting the two’s efforts to research Egypt, loaning them general history books after Yuugi’s allowance ran out.

If she recognized that now, though, she didn’t say so. If anything, Yuugi’s argument seemed to soften her mood. The furrows on her brow smoothed as she sighed and picked up her chopsticks.

“Eat your breakfast. I know you are going out later, but I want you both to help me clean the living room this morning.”

Atem & Yuugi’s joint “ _Hai_ ” came out in perfect sync, making them stop and grin at each other as Yui stared and Sugoroku laughed.

Atem chuckled to himself, but he was quickly distracted when he looked down to eat, and discovered his fish had been replaced with a half-empty bowl of miso soup.

He blinked at it for a moment, then slowly turned to stare at his partner, and _his_ food.

There were two plates in front of Yuugi. The first was cleaned off, but he was still eating a fish off of the second plate.

Atem’s plate.

Yuugi doesn’t say anything, or even look up at his open staring… but Atem smiled all the same.

He picked up the bowl without a word.

* * *

“So, you’re a drop out, huh?” A hand reached over the back of the booth to pat Atem’s shoulder. He grimaced under the unexpected weight, but accepted it without comment, turning around to face his friend and his reassuring grin. “It’s alright, man. I’ve been there. Just don’t let the judgment get to you.”

“ _Jounouchi_ ,” Anzu admonished, glowering at him until he leaned back with a snort, waving as if to say ‘it was just a joke!’ Anzu didn’t acknowledge it, though, her expression morphing to relief as she focused on Atem. “So, the Mutous really accepted you? They’ll let you stay while you’re here?”

“Aa,” Atem confirmed, turning with the others to listen as Yuugi added, “It shocked us, too! Mama isn’t exactly happy, but she’s honestly been pretty okay about it all. She’s jumped straight into giving him chores and bothering him about eating right and everything.”

“Then she’s a few steps ahead of me already,” Otogi piped in from behind Atem and Yuugi. They, Jounouchi, Anzu, Honda, and Bakura had all gathered at Burger World for lunch, but there wasn’t enough room for seven at one booth. So, Jounouchi and Otogi had shuffled into an adjacent one to lean over Atem and Yuugi’s heads. The better to surround and focus on the two who were now quite actually _two_ , and not a joint unit.

Atem had to practically turn around in his seat to look at Otogi, but it was worth it to arch a brow at him as he asked, “What do you mean?”

“Well, I just… I mean _look at you_.” And Otogi reached out and actually _poked_ him on the cheek.

The touch was light, but Atem still jerked back, nearly leaning out of the seat to level a stare on the man.

Otogi just grinned, though, crossing his arms over the seat back. “I knew you were your own thing all along, and heard what was said at Battle City, but it’s still something else entirely to see you here, sitting side-by-side with Yuugi.”

“Without a doubt,” Honda agreed, prompting them all to turn and look at the teen sitting across from them in the booth. The brunette was focused on Atem though, an uncertain sort of curiosity in his eyes. “Isn’t it weird, man, walking around on your own like this? I mean, having your own body and all, it must be a shock.”

Even Yuugi turned to level a wondering look on him for _that_ question.

Atem hesitated, but only because of the expectant attention so suddenly turned on him. After a breath, he shook his head, settling his elbows back on the table. “There are some things, yes, but generally? No, nothing feels strange. It feels pretty much like it did when _aibou_ shared his body with me.” He turned to meet said partner’s eyes as he went on, smiling for the surprise he saw there. “It always felt natural when I did that. So, aside from my skin being a new color and not being able to… ‘disappear’ anymore, everything feels the same.”

“That’s good,” Yuugi breathed, offering one of those smiles of his. The one stained with relief for a fear he never voiced to begin with. “I was afraid you’d feel out of place somehow.”

Atem shook his head, listened to the relieved and acknowledging hums and comments around him… and stayed quiet.

Because in reality, that wasn’t _quite_ the truth.

He _did_ feel at ease in that body - perhaps even more so than he should, given he was supposed to be _dead_ \- but there was _one_ thing that felt constantly, endlessly foreign to him in his new norm, that kept stealing his attention time and again, humming at the back of his mind.

Honda spoke up, they turned to face him, and Yuugi’s elbow brushed his.

That touch _sang_.

Atem ignored it. Listened to his friend.

“So, you can’t go back to that maze anymore?”

“Why would he _want_ to?” Jounouchi cut in, glowering at Honda over Atem’s head. “That place was freaking crazy!”

“That was Atem’s _soul_ ,” Anzu emphasized, making the blond clamp his mouth shut and shoot Atem an awkward look.

“Sorry, man.”

“It’s fine,” Atem dismissed, turning back to the table at large. “We decided I shouldn’t try going into my soul room. That would mean using the Puzzle, and the less we do that, the better.”

“I’m kind of shocked you’re even still wearing it,” Bakura mused, eyes falling to the golden item hanging around Atem’s neck. “Didn’t you say that… _Zorc_ , was partly in the Puzzle, too?”

Atem… found he had nothing to say. His mind went blank and when he skirted his gaze to his partner, he saw the same struck-blind shock in Yuugi’s eyes.

No input from there, then, but…

“It…” Atem started, swallowing back the awareness of how thin his answer really was… who he was saying it to. “It just feels strange, not to wear it.”

Rather than looking troubled or disapproving, though, Bakura just _nodded_ with clear acceptance, breaking eye contact to drink his soda.

“Are… _you_ doing okay, Bakura-kun?” Yuugi edged into asking, only to blink with the rest of them as Bakura jerked out of whatever his private thoughts were to practically beam at them.

“Of course! Are you kidding? I’m walking around for the first time in years without any worry about the Ring! There were times I ‘forgot’ to worry about it, yes, because that spirit hid my memories from me… But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s really true now, right? That it’s over?”

“Right,” Atem nodded, relaxing as he more felt than saw Yuugi deflate with relief, and Jounouchi talked over his head.

“Yeah, and we were worried about you for a while there, Bakura. But we’re happy for you! And now we can all hang out together worry free, Atem included!”

“Exactly, and on that-” Anzu cut in, a hesitance clear behind her smile as she asked, “Do you know how long you can stay… ‘Atem-kun’?”

He had been expecting the question at some point or another. Honestly, he had been shocked it hadn’t come up when they explained Sugoroku’s plan to cover Atem’s identity.

But it had happened, and so Atem simply said it, the truth coming a little easier with the repetition of the information.

And all the while Yuugi said nothing. Didn’t even suck in a breath, as he had the night before.

When Atem chanced a glance at him amidst detailing his talk with Isis, he saw Yuugi was staring at his burger, a distant sort of air to his gaze.

But Atem had little room to ask about it when he finally got to the point - “It could be weeks, maybe longer” - and the table erupted.

With cheers.

“Are you kidding me?!” Jounouchi yelled right behind his head, making Atem jerk forward until his stomach hit the table.

“What-”

“You mean it? You aren’t leaving immediately?” Anzu gasped, all but standing herself in her excitement.

“No way!” Honda cried before Atem could answer, _tears_ actually appearing in his eyes!

“So we get to see you a little while longer before you leave?” Bakura asked with a grin, just as Otogi leaned over to toss his own smile.

“That’s great!”

“That’s not _great_ , that’s _awesome_!” Atem gagged as an arm came up around his neck, catching him in a headlock. But Jounouchi just went heedlessly on, unaware of his choking. “We thought we were going to lose you at that museum, and instead we get you for the rest of the summer?!”

“Maybe?!” Atem wheezed, distantly aware of another pair of hands trying to pry him free.

“Come on, Jounouchi-kun, let him breathe.”

“Guh-” He was released to a laughing apology, and Atem covered his mouth with his wrist as he coughed. All the while, Yuugi continued to rub his back- his touch lingering there as Atem finally caught his breath.

“You can’t blame us for being happy,” Anzu defended gently, drawing all eyes to her and her smile. “We all knew you were your own person, after all, but we never had the chance before to talk to both of you at once. And now we will get to build even more memories together!”

“-I suppose that’s true,” Atem allowed, working to keep his smile steady, even as he felt Yuugi’s hand retreat. “Though I never minded just listening as _aibou_ and all of you talked.”

“Yeah, but that’s because _you_ could see _us_ ,” Honda cut in, smirking as he leaned back in his seat with crossed arms. “And now you’re just going to have to get used to the fact _we_ can talk to _you_ whenever we want, because we’re definitely planning on taking advantage.”

“Yes,” Otogi agreed, shaking his head. “It’s too bad you can’t come to school with all of us, then we could hang out all of the time.”

“And… I wanted to talk to all of you about that.”

Every head at the table turned to Yuugi.

Even Atem blinked at him curiously, but his partner just shook his head before sharing a smile with all of them. “I don’t know why this happened, but we’ve been really, really, _really_ lucky. And since _mou hi_ \- _Atem_ , gets to stay with us longer than we thought, I thought we should all make a point to spend whatever time we have this summer, having as much fun as possible… together.”

…It was such a given, really. But the quiet, warm sincerity behind the request struck them all, and as understanding smiles spread across the others’ faces, Atem could only stare at that soft, determined face, chest aching in a way that _had_ to be more emotional than physical.

His body wasn’t even a day old, after all, but _that_ sensation was sharply familiar.

 _Aibou_ -

“That sounds perfect, Yuugi-kun,” Anzu agreed, voice fondly soft beneath the sharp cries of agreement from Honda and Otogi and Bakura, and a whooping “ _Yeah_!” from Jounouchi.

“I’m with you, Yuugi! And with no time to lose, maybe we should just skip out of school this week and go on some trip?!”

“Would you be serious for once?!” Anzu huffed, but Atem just laughed and looked over his shoulder at the grinning blond.

“No, but thank you, Jounouchi… everyone.” He turned back, smiling at all of them… his _friends_ each in turn, until his gaze fell once more on his partner.

He repeated the thanks once more, in his head, where no one but he could hear it…

But Yuugi smiled anyways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Music:** [On Top Of the World](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8PrTzLaLHc)
> 
> **[twitter](https://twitter.com/Phoebeus14) :: [tumblr blog](http://bitterseaproduction.tumblr.com/) :: [music](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z) :: [ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/phoebeus)**


	4. Monday, June 15th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A happy thank you to all of the reviewers, and a happy birthday to Mutou Yuugi!! To celebrate we have a… Atem-focused chapter. Huh… irony, but I would like to think that Yuugi would actually appreciate that. :) A very merry June 4th to you, everyone.
> 
>  **Music:** [My Homie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CORowSvp-k)

“Found it.”

“Ah!” Yuugi jolted up, and grimaced as his head met the underside of the family room table. He rubbed the resulting sore spot as he wormed his way free of the furniture and stood up. “Where in the world was it?”

“Under your bed. We must have kicked it or something while we were playing last night,” Atem theorized, closing the distance between them as he offered up the rogue school book and eyed his partner’s head. “Did that hurt?”

“No, just shocked me,” Yuugi dismissed, too busy frowning at the textbook as he accepted it. “How could we have kicked it, though? I didn’t even do the homework in this last night.”

“Don’t let your mother hear you say that,” Atem teased, his light grin widening as Yuugi instinctively tensed and eyed the hallway. No one appeared, of course, and the pharaoh was free to chuckle and earn a grumble from his partner in peace. “Calm down, she’s in the shop right now. And don’t you remember? You used a school book last night as a ‘clipboard’ while you tracked your scores.”

“ _Riiiight_ ,” Yuugi breathed as he stuffed the book into his bag, finally recalling.

Jounouchi had come home with them yesterday, after the Burger World meeting, and spent the evening at the house, talking and playing games and eating dinner with the family. His addition to the dinner party had proved pretty great, as he smoothed over any awkwardness among the still adjusting Mutous. But after they ate, Yuugi’s best friend and other self got into a heated little Tekken competition… that lasted three hours.

When Yuugi inevitably got restless watching them, he flopped back on his bed with a portable Mario game and a piece of notepaper, tracking his scores and times from each world as he beat them.

And when Jonouchi inevitably headed home for the night, and Yuugi had to take a bath? He passed the game and paper to Atem, and challenged him to beat every one.

The pharaoh only managed to get through half of them by the time Mama called for lights out.

Yuugi suspected he would have the rest done by the time he got back from school that day, and the thought was honestly a comfort.

That didn’t stop him from voicing his concern, though, as he shrugged into his backpack and walked into the hall, Atem’s footsteps echoing right behind him. “Are you going to be all right here in the house?”

“Of course.”

“Because I’m not going to be back until like five, so-”

“So I’ll keep myself busy until then,” Atem interrupted, smiling as Yuugi used the excuse of putting on his boots to face him and linger in the entryway. “What are you so worried about?”

“I don’t know… I just can’t help but think something might happen.”

“It’s a few hours while you’re at school, and I still have your memories in my head, _aibou_. I know not to put metal in the microwave, or make long distant calls on the phone, or walk in front of a car if I go out.”

“Well, can you blame me for worrying? I’ve seen you phase through one before, you know. If you forget you’re _solid_ now…” Yuugi trailed off, grinning up at the man mid-bootstrapping to underline that he was joking.

Atem just sniffed, earning a proper snicker from Yuugi as he stood up…

And then they were just… standing there, staring at each other.

Because it was time to go.

And Yuugi realized he had no idea how to turn around and walk out of his own house.

 _I’ve never been apart from him_.

And… that wasn’t technically true.

He hadn’t even _known_ Atem until two years ago… One, if he meant it literally. But, Yuugi had had the Puzzle near him over half of his life, hadn’t he? And, maybe he was only inventing it in retrospect, but he remembered being attached to it from the very beginning, as if he had known on some level that something precious was hidden inside of that gold.

And, yeah, if he focused on the last year alone, he _had_ been separated from Atem a number of times, the most recent example being less than _two days ago_.

But, he had never… Yuugi had never _purposely_ distanced himself from his other self before.

Not so naturally.

And it wasn’t coming naturally now, now that it was called for.

And he could swear he saw the same befuddled emotion _he_ felt there in Atem’s eyes…

But then those crimsons cleared, and the pharaoh?

No, _his other self_ smiled.

“I’ll keep that in mind, and stay out of the street. I can’t beat you tonight if I get distracted on the road and cause a problem, after all.”

“Beat me?” Yuugi blinked, a frown disturbing his daze. “What do you mean?”

Atem shook his head, stuffing one hand into his pants pocket as he asked, “Were you not paying attention last night? Jounouchi and I said that the winner of that last match could play _you_ next, and I won. If we hadn’t noticed the time, I would have demanded it right then and there.”

Despite himself, Yuugi had to laugh. “And you didn’t think to ask me before making that bet?”

“We were confident you would agree” was the airy response, and Yuugi gave a weak, secondary chuckle… and an oddly relieved grin.

“Well, I can’t say you were wrong. But if that’s the case, you’d better be prepared when I get back.”

“Of course,” Atem replied, shooting him a fiery smirk worthy of any gamer… that shifted into a simple, delighted smile as Yuugi lifted an expectant hand.

They high-fived, and Yuugi turned to go.

“ _Ittekimasu_.”

“ _Itterasshai_!”

Yuugi’s face split with a grin at that enthusiastic sendoff, but he didn’t turn back.

He didn’t need to.

And really, he _shouldn’t_ need to.

However strange it might feel, walking away and closing the door on Atem without looking back, facing the day without his other self at his side, Yuugi knew he needed to get used to it.

It was going to be a much more common necessity before long, after all.

But for now, he could walk away with the assurance that Atem would be there waiting for him at the end of the day, the same as always.

And if he was going to be on his own _completely_ one day soon, then he needed to be capable of handling _this_.

And he could.

He was strong.

He would manage.

* * *

He missed him.

Atem had been staring at the Magic Cylinder card for a good three minutes when he finally looked up from the center of the Duel Monster card explosion he had set off in the bedroom and admitted that thought to himself consciously.

He missed Yuugi.

It was _odd_ , he… recognized that in a sense it was quite natural, missing him, but Atem also just couldn’t wrap his head around it.

He had spent years entertaining himself every day while Yuugi went to school, and usually all he had at his disposal were his own thoughts and the maze of his soul room. Now, he had every game and toy in Yuugi’s room, a few dozen channels on the television, and the whole city at his beck and call.

But he had already beaten the rest of Yuugi’s scores in that Mario game, skimmed through the television twice, gone for a walk around the neighborhood, eaten lunch at a sandwich shop, and come back to tear their deck apart in a desperate hunt for activity.

And it wasn’t even one yet.

He knew, because he kept looking at the clock every five minutes, wondering why it wasn’t five already.

 _I could go shopping_ , Atem proposed to himself… only to sigh and dismiss the thought as quickly as it occurred. He had been ‘recognized’ on the street twice already just going for a walk, Battle City being still fresh in everyone’s mind, and he didn’t want to repeat the experience again so soon.

Cleaning up the cards and the bedroom as a whole sounded more promising… but he had found that any activity that didn’t occupy his mind just left it free to wander down strange paths. And it wasn’t even to _logical_ places, like what happened back in the museum, or what might yet happen in Egypt, or why he had this body to clean with in the first place.

…

He wondered if Yuugi was having fun at lunch…

…

Atem tossed Magic Cylinder onto the pile and rubbed a hand over his face.

What was _wrong_ with him?!

Sure, he was used to reaching out to his partner, brushing his mind against his regularly in a subconscious check that Yuugi was alright, doing fine in class or happy with his friends, or… whatever. And he couldn’t do that now. But, that was just an old habit borne from his earliest conscious days he never fully dropped. He didn’t _need_ to do that anymore. He knew his partner could take care of himself. And he was _glad_ that was so! Proud that he could bet money any day that Yuugi could face any unpleasant surprises thrown his way on his own, and be fine!

Atem just, hadn’t stopped sticking close to him, despite that.

And it was beginning to strike him that that might have been less for _Yuugi’s_ sake than his own.

 _This separation might be as good for me as for him,_ he thought wryly, pinning a weary glare on the ceiling as he leaned back against the side of the bed.

They needed to be okay with being apart, after all.

He just… he hadn’t imagined it would be so difficult.

It had to be that he wasn’t used to being quite literally on his own, that was all.

No one around to reach out to, or hear his thoughts, or suddenly speak to him-

“Atem-kun!!”

“Aa-” Atem jerked, and flinched as the back of his head managed to find the thin bar of the bed support. “Guh…”

“Did you not hear me calling? And, what did you do to Yuugi’s room?!”

“Nothing,” he grumbled, only to belatedly stiffen as he looked up and registered that it was his partner’s _mother_ in the doorway, glowering down at the messy floor. “…Can I help you with something?”

Mutou Yui tugged her gaze off of the myriad of cards to frown directly at him, making Atem instantly regret asking. “Yes, I wanted to know if you were planning on moping around the house all day, or if you are actually going to help in the shop.”

“I’m not moping…” the pharaoh grumbled in the midst of her words, only to blink into a mentally mute shock as she finished, and- “The, shop?”

“ _Yes_ , or did you forget that you promised you would help us out?”

Actually, he had just taken it for granted that she meant he should help when _Yuugi_ was there. He had assumed she would be too suspicious of him to trust him with the shop, and all of the money and games within, even with Sugoroku there. One bathroom break, and he could rob them all blind. And as a perfect stranger to her, wasn’t that something to fear in Mutou Yui’s eyes?

Apparently that didn’t concern her, though. Or, didn’t occur to her.

But it would probably just reflect badly on himself if he explained his presumption, so he wisely said nothing… until Yui narrowed her eyes at him.

“ _Well_?”

* * *

“So, Yui-chan sent you to me, huh?” Sugoroku asked, folding his arms on the shop counter as he scrutinized the ancient teen standing stiffly before him.

“Yes. She said I should help out down here.”

“…And you’re going to work in that?”

Atem… looked down at his clothes.

He’d just been hanging out around the house for the day, so he had no jewelry on save the Puzzle, and his pants weren’t too bad. _Jeans_ , but unwrinkled with no holes or tears to be seen… his shirt, though? It was Yuugi’s… the black one with the frayed sleeves and his partner’s name embossed in yellow on the front.

“That’s not exactly going to help your cover story, ‘Atem’-kun,” Sugoroku pointed out, a grin badly hidden beneath his whiskers.

Atem shrugged, pressing nonchalance over his face as he hid his hands in his pockets. “I could go back upstairs and change-”

“Heh heh, no need. Here,” Sugoroku reached behind him into a drawer, pulled out a crumpled ball of green cloth, and tossed it at him. “Wear Yuugi’s old apron over it.”

Atem caught the bundle just before it hit him in the face, and shook it out.

A cute little splayed out cartoon turtle stared back at him from the apron front.

…

He looked up at the shop owner.

Sugoroku quirked a brow at him, amused challenge shining in his eyes. “Yes?”

…Atem put on the apron.

When he was done, the Puzzle settled over the turtle’s face and a tight little bow tied at his back, he looked back up with an expression of perfect dignity and arched a brow right back at the smiling old man. “Well?”

Sugoroku snorted, but thankfully did not laugh. He just reached opened a yellow cabinet door and pulled out a bottle and cloth. “Why don’t we start with cleaning all of the shelves, and go from there?”

‘From there’ turned out to be a rundown of everything currently on display, an explanation of how a grotesque hand in a glass jar was actually a game, and a general tirade on _why_ it was so much better for a business to sell one-of-a-kind games over the latest board or card game fad.

All things Atem had heard before… not just from borrowed memories, but from over Yuugi’s shoulder as his partner worked in the shop and his grandfather lectured him from the counter.

Yuugi would always look up at him when his grandfather started, and they would share a private smile and laugh.

“Um, excuse me?”

-?

Atem looked up from a display he was putting back together post-cleaning, a plastic puzzle box in hand to be put up, to find a young girl looking up at him, dark eyes hopeful behind gigantic specs.

“Um, are you… are you, Mutou Yuugi?”

 _Oh_.

Atem’s gaze immediately ticked to his left, already expecting Sugoroku to jump in and intervene. He had done the same at least three times already, after all… popped up to laugh and correct people and introduce his ‘great nephew’ to the newest taken aback customer, never giving Atem a chance to get in a word edgewise.

But Sugoroku was at the cash register with a man, showing him some variant of a checkerboard.

And Atem quickly understood _why_ the older man had jumped in so much when he looked back down at the girl… and realized he couldn’t find his tongue.

“Um…”

“Y-you _are_ , right? Papa said this is your family’s shop.”

“Well, _yes_ , but-”

“Oh my gosh, then it is you!” The girl suddenly burst out in an adorable, toothy grin sans two teeth, and grabbed his arm. “I saw you duel in Battle City and it was so _cool_ and I want a magician just like yours but Papa says that I just have to save up my allowance and hope I find one in a pack but I haven’t yet but I _did_ find a Kuriboh just like yours and I-”

Atem had gone stiff at the first touch, his mind only slowly registering what was happening. Belatedly, thoughtlessly, he tugged his arm free from the girl, rubbing the spot and frowning as she stumbled for her feet and stopped talking. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Um…” The girl was back to her previous, shy self, lips tight and eyes crinkling with a tension that put even Atem on edge. But she finally managed to ask, “Could you… sign my Kuriboh card?”

“… _Oh_.” Atem’s expression smoothed out in delayed shock, mind rushing to reset itself around the request. It was sweet, but… she wanted _Yuugi_ ’s signature. And he just, he couldn’t bring himself to do that. Forge his partner’s name. He offered a weak smile, trying for the sort of look Sugoroku might give when he explained they were out of stock for something. “Sorry, I can’t. You see-”

But the girl’s expression collapsed in on itself before he could explain, and Atem’s tongue stuck to his teeth as she looked down at her shoes. “Oh… right, of course. I’m sorry for bothering you.”

He should have said something. Assured her that it wasn’t her, that she had the wrong person, that _Yuugi_ would surely be happy to meet her and talk and sign anything.

But all he managed was a stumbling “Ah-” and she was gone, running out the door.

“Honoka-chan?!” the man at the counter called, his confusion quickly turning to anger as he looked between his retreating girl and the frozen, shamefaced teen. “What did you say to her?!”

“No, it wasn’t-” But the man was gone, too, leaving his would-be purchase on the counter as he ran after ‘Honoka’.

And Atem wasn’t aware he was moving until Sugoroku called after him.

“No, Atem-kun. Let them go.”

He turned to the man, must have looked aghast, because Sugoroku just shook his head with a heavy, tired look. “It’s not our place to demand peace. If you’ve lost a customer, you just have to endure it and try better with the next one.”

But he had _upset that one_! And it wasn’t just a customer! It was a little girl that _he_ made cry!

But Atem said none of that. Just squeezed the puzzle he had never put down… and turned back to the shelf.

A hand pat his back a minute later, but he didn’t look up.

* * *

A somber but calmer Atem stood behind the cash register an hour later, filling in for Sugoroku while he snuck into the house for a quick snack.

There was nothing left to do, with everything cleaned and restocked and the traffic slow, so Atem had taken to lazily solving a couple of the Rubic’s Cubes on display on the countertop.

He was almost _pleased_ when someone set off the shop bell and interrupted the silence.

His grin died fast, however, when he saw the anger on the customer’s face.

“What is this?!” The woman slammed a box down on the glass counter, the contents shuffling and rattling in protest at the impact. “I bought this game here last week, and it was _not_ what my son asked for!”

“…I’m sorry, ma’am. Did we send you the wrong product?” Atem apologized and asked, swallowing back the initial reaction that wanted to come out, reaching instead for the poise and tone he had seen Yuugi use with irate customers a dozen times over.

 _Try better with the next one_.

“Send? _No_ , I bought this here last week, from _you_! Don’t you remember?” the lady snapped, only to belatedly catch herself and narrow her eyes on his face, apparently just catching on that she _wasn’t_ talking to the same boy.

So Yuugi helped her last time… but Atem must have been inside the Puzzle at the time, because he did not recognize her.

That didn’t stop the slight edge of irritation that sprang up his back as he thought about the woman yelling at his _partner_ instead.

“…I’m afraid I don’t understand, then. Does the game not have all of its pieces, or is it defective in some way?”

“I don’t know about that!” she snapped, pushing the game a little more across the counter, as if to force Atem to pick it up and accept it. “But it was not what I asked for! My son wanted _13 Death Drive_!”

Atem looked down at the game cover. “This is _13 Death Drive_.”

“ _No_ , the proper one! The, the one where… he said the characters kill each other for an inheritance. From an aunt.”

“ _Aa_ ,” Atem breathed, his own expression smoothing, even if the woman’s didn’t. “That is _13 Dead End Drive_.”

“Yes, that one! So you do know it!”

“Yes, but we don’t carry that game here.”

“Oh, is that why you pawned this other game off on me? So that you could get some money, rather than tell the truth?!”

Atem stiffened, expression emptying as he fought back his reaction.

_Yuugi would never do that._

“If you asked for _13 Dead End Drive_ , not _13 Death Drive_ , then I apologize-”

“You should have known that was what I meant! That’s the popular one, right?! Not this knock off!”

“It is not a knock off, ma’am. It is simply a different game.”

“Well, it wasn’t what I wanted! And you should have guessed that! Who would want this game?!”

“We thought you, apparently,” Atem said before he could think to stifle the words, earning nothing for his slip but an affronted glare and more yelling.

“How dare you talk to me like that?!”

He knew on some level he should dial it back, apologize, or at least keep his mouth shut.

He glared right back, instead. “If you were so _set_ on which game you wanted, then you should have actually _checked_ what you were buying when-”

The game smacked him in the face.

He stumbled back and fell and the box exploded and pieces rained out over the glass top and floor, rolling way beneath counters and tables.

By the time he looked up, the woman was barging out of the store, the bell screaming over her head.

“What the… what happened?!” Yui demanded as she rushed into the shop a few seconds later, Sugoroku right on her heels with a napkin still tucked into his collar.

Atem, still on the floor behind the counter, slowly stood up… not looking at them as he bent over to pick up the box. “Nothing. I’ll clean this up.”

“But we heard-” What Yui heard, Atem didn’t know. Sugoroku was mumbling something to her… but he didn’t listen, or look up to watch them go.

He just kept cleaning up game pieces.

* * *

“Excuse me?”

Atem stiffened, and slowly, reluctantly looked up from the lower shelf he was stocking.

A girl was smiling at him.

Atem instantly looked to his right, catching Sugoroku’s eye.

But the older man just watched them, leaning on the counter and grinning without comment.

He wasn’t going to intervene.

Breathing frustration out through his nose, Atem propped up the last of the board games and stood, brushing off his knees. “Can I help you?”

“Er, yes.” The girl - a teen with long dark locks pulled back in a ponytail and freckles splashed across her nose - turned to the door. Following her gaze, Atem saw two other girls in the same, unfamiliar school uniform standing outside of the shop door, grinning and laughing and giving a thumbs up to their friend. The open exchange made Atem frown suspiciously, but to her credit the girl seemed embarrassed by the display. She was blushing when she turned back to him. “I was wondering if you could show me a game!”

Atem blinked. “…Which game?”

“Oh, uh…” She looked about them, brown eyes finally landing on the game Atem had just put up. She pointed to it. “That one.”

Atem slowly followed her finger to the display. “Reversi?”

“Yes! Reversi.”

Huh… Had she seen him putting it up a second ago? Was that why she approached him, and not Sugoroku? Atem didn’t know, but he picked up the box and held it out for her. “You can open it up and look at it if you like, as long as you keep it in the shop. We like it when customers try out the game first, so don’t worry.”

“Oh,” the girl mumbled, not taking the box. She just kept looking at _him_. “I was hoping… _you_ could show it to me? I mean, I’ve never played it before, and I always like learning new things with a person, rather than reading some boring instructions.”

“I suppose I get that,” Atem allowed, relaxing enough to offer an honest smile as he considered sharing new games with his partner, and how fun that always was.

His quiet cheer seemed to please the girl, too, as she smiled at him. “I’m Mayumi. What’s your name?”

“Mutou Atem,” he managed with only the slightest stumble, rushing off of the topic of names and identities by looking down at the game. “So, you’d like me to show you how to play this?”

“Yes! If you please.”

“Alright, we have a game table over there. If you just call in your friends-”

“No!”

Atem jolted at the sudden outburst, instinctively tensing in fear that he had said something wrong again, and was about to end up with tears… or another board game in the face.

But no, the girl looked as taken aback as him, and she blushed and stared down at her shoes in clear shame. “Sorry, I mean… it’s okay, you can just show me.”

“You… aren’t going to play with them?”

“I _will_ , I just… it’ll be more fun if I get to show them myself, later!” she said, smiling as she rushed through the explanation.

Atem didn’t get it. Wasn’t it always more fun to share a new game _with_ friends, discover it for the first time together?

But, that _was_ just his opinion, wasn’t it? And if that was what the customer wanted…

 _Try better with the next one_.

So, Atem said nothing. Just nodded as Mayumi waved away her friends, sharing some silent exchange with them through the door glass as he set up the game at the table.

As he did, he shot a baffled look at Sugoroku behind the girl’s back.

But the old shopkeeper just shook his head, grinning like this was the most hilarious thing he had ever seen in his life.

Atem didn’t see what was so funny about it, though.

* * *

“So, you want to be really careful if you set a piece adjacent to a corner, because if I put a piece here or here, I could claim that corner for myself and flip all of your wall pieces on these two sides, and claim them for my own.”

“Wow, that’s amazing!”

 _Bad_ would be the word he would use, but maybe Mayumi just meant his advice, which was nice of her.

Atem was walking her step by step through a game of Reversi, showing her how the game would start and run and how someone might try to win, and how to block it.

Mayumi didn’t make many comments as he talked, but she seemed really impressed by everything he said, and very keen on the instructions he gave. They had been talking for quite a while already, and she was still listening as rapt as ever, chin resting on her hand as she leaned in close to follow the moves Atem pointed out.

He couldn’t hazard a guess at how much of it she was picking up, or how well she might play herself, but he could at least dub her a mindful pupil.

“And if you move this piece here or here, that would leave you vulnerable to a wall move here. So if you avoid that-”

“Atem-kun?”

“Hmm?” Mayumi jumped with a startled flush at the outside voice, but Atem met Sugoroku’s smile with calm curiosity. “What is it?”

“I hate to interrupt, but it’s five minutes to five. You’re off the clock, right?”

Five minutes to… _oh_!

Atem beamed as he realized what that meant, instantly pushing away from the table. “Right, thank you! Mayumi?”

“Huh? Y-yes?”

“Would you like me to pack up the Reversi game for you to take home?”

“Oh… yes! Of course!” she answered, a strange confusion staining her smile.

But Atem couldn’t even focus on hazarding a guess why. He was too pleased to worry, now that five had finally come.

And he had just managed his first successful sales pitch!

A minute later and he was ringing up the game himself and passing it to her, his mind already rushing out of the room to the next face he expected to see that evening as he parroted off a quick “Thank you, please come again!”

“Er, yes… Atem-kun?”

Atem stalled just a step away from the register, turning back to face Mayumi and her nervous smile. “Yes?”

“Well… I was wondering if I could have your number?” she finally ventured, her tension seeming to fall away as she got out the words. “You know, so that we could… talk games again some time?”

“ _Oh_ ,” Atem said, relaxing as the confusion fled him at that belated explanation. “Of course, here.”

“R-really? Thank you! I… wait.” The girl’s shaky surprise calmed into a flat stillness as she stared at the business card Atem handed her. “Is… this the game shop phone number?”

Atem nodded, smiling. “That’s right. You can call anytime before six, and if I’m not here, then… Mayumi?” he asked, trailing off into tense uncertainty as he saw the look on the girl’s face. “Is something wrong?”

She didn’t say anything. Just stared at him, struck hurt barely smothered behind tense lips as they locked gazes… then she turned away.

“What-?” Atem started, but she was out the door before he could get even that single word out. The two girls he had seen earlier got up from a nearby bench to meet her, and ten seconds later one of them shot him a look of white fire through the glass, and wrapped an arm around Mayumi’s shoulders and led her away.

“What…” Atem started again, turning to the only other person left in the shop.

Sugoroku was crouched down behind the glass counter, seemingly putting a game away. But even as Atem watched, the older man dropped the box, grasped the side of the counter, and began to shake.

He was laughing.

“… _What_?!”

* * *

“Sorry for barging in,” Jounouchi apologized offhandedly as he pushed his bike up to the shop. “But if you two are going to play Tekken tonight, I _have_ to see who wins. My pride is on the line, after all! You can’t _both_ be better than me! And if you win, I’ll just have to beat you myself.”

“You don’t have to apologize for coming over!” Yuugi countered, grinning for the defense he didn’t directly respond to. “You know we don’t mind. Though, thanks for waiting up for me, so that we could go in together.” He didn’t have a bicycle of his own, after all, and Jounouchi probably would’ve been there a good ten minutes before him if he had actually ridden it.

“Eh, no problem. I just brought it to get to school on time this morning.”

Yuugi grinned, failing to mention that he had been _late_ to class as Jounouchi eyed the side of the building.

“You think _Jii-chan_ will mind if I tie it up to the turtle sign?”

“Probably not,” Yuugi guessed as his friend took out a bike lock, his own attention already turning to the side of the game shop, and the private door only the family used to get in. “Do you… mind if I go ahead inside?”

“ _Nah_ , go for it, I know the way in! And say hi for me!”

Yuugi stalled at the door at that last demand, catching Jounouchi’s eye and earning a teasing grin that made the shorter one smile self-consciously as he finally walked into the house.

Jounouchi knew why he was anxious to go in, after all.

“ _Tadaima_!” Yuugi called as soon as he was inside, eyes scanning the hallway as if someone might pop out of the wood itself to say hello. No one did, of course, and a strange disappointment struck him for a second… But he shook head and moved on, sat down and removed his boots. He was a little earlier than expected, after all, so it was no shock no one was there to greet him. He could go looking himself in a second… and that self-assurance alone was enough to help him find his smile again as he shrugged out of his backpack.

“… _Aibou_.”

Yuugi froze mid-hanging his bag on the wall at that name, mumbled just behind him. The vague, resting smile on his face awoke into a full grin as he put up the bag and turned his head. “Hey! How are-”

He stumbled verbally and literally as a weight pressed itself against his back.

He blinked blindly at the wall, heart jumping up in his throat and running wild as his head failed to register…

Atem was… leaning against him?

“It… _Mou hitori no boku_?”

“Hey, I just saw some girls running away from the shop. You think something hap- What the hell?”

The weight jerked back at Jounouchi’s voice and entrance, and freed Yuugi to touch the back of his neck… where a warm breath had just been tickling the skin.

But when he turned to face his other self, a large buzzing blank space in his head where a question should be, he discovered Atem… frowning at the floor between them.

One look and all of his startled confusion gave way to concern. “Atem? What is it?”

Crimson eyes shot up for a split second, flicked over him and Jounouchi, then fell back to the step as he stuffed his hands into his pockets, frown falling into a proper glower.

“ _Girls_.”

Yuugi and Jounouchi… stared at each other.

_Huh?_

* * *

“Atem, she was obviously flirting with you,” Yuugi prodded, a wry smile playing at his lips as he watched his other self glower out of the corner of his eye, his main focus still on the game in front of them.

“I figured out that much, thank you.”

“Did you? Or… did _Jii-chan_ explain it to you?”

“Same difference,” Atem dismissed, only to flinch and lose his latest Tekken match as Jounouchi cried out from behind them on the bed.

“And it was _seriously_ the one with the ponytail?! Damn, Atem, _she was hot_!”

“I didn’t notice,” Atem grumbled, attention soundly set on the television, squinting at it as he switched from Forest Law to Eddy Gordo and prompted a new match.

Yuugi won the first round in five seconds with an uppercut from Panda.

“I think we need to start over,” Yuugi suggested, putting down his controller and facing his other self properly for the first time since they started the game and Atem began explaining the events of the day. “Maybe even put this off. You’re distracted.”

“That’s no excuse,” Atem mumbled, even as he leaned back against the bedside and shut his eyes… at least until Yuugi replied.

“Maybe not, but it is partly my fault.”

Atem and Jounouchi stared at him.

“ _How_ is it in any way your fault?”

“The woman, with her son’s board game,” he reminded them, shrugging as he focused on Atem. “I’m the one who gave her the game she didn’t want. If I had questioned her more, I might have caught on to the problem before she bought it.”

“But that woman was a bitch!” Jounouchi yelled, earning a shushing motion from Yuugi as he eyed his open door.

His mother didn’t appear, though, and after a breath Atem turned back to him, insisting, “She _was_ unreasonable, _aibou_. That wasn’t your fault. I just shouldn’t have lost my temper with her.”

Yuugi slowly turned back to him, mirroring the weak, sorry smile Atem offered him… reaching over without a thought to squeeze his knee. “Some people you just can’t please, you know.” It was a sorry comfort at best, but his other self’s expression still warmed with it, and they were left staring at each other a moment… until Yuugi let go with a quick pat, and moved to stand. “I’ll get us some drinks. If you’re still up to it, we’ll start over from scratch when I get back.”

“Right…” Atem mumbled, zoning out for a breath as Yuugi asked Jounouchi what he wanted.

He was being silly, and he knew it. Whatever happened that day, he should be enjoying his time with his partner and friend-

Then Jounouchi plopped down in Yuugi’s spot, and took up his controller.

“He’s going to be right back, Jounouchi.”

“Eh, you’re starting over anyways. What Yuugi doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” Jounouchi countered, winking at Atem as he started up the next match… and reaching over to hit the START on Atem’s own controller when he didn’t do it himself.

And, well. Atem wasn’t about to watch his character lose without at least _trying_.

And he thought he was doing pretty well, until Jounouchi spoke up.

“So, what’s got you so upset, man?”

Atem eyed him for a breath, not deigning to give that question an answer at first… but the silence dragged on for a bit, and when he lost the latest round, he just said it. “I upset multiple customers. _Jii-chan_ probably isn’t going to leave me in the shop alone again, or let me handle any complaints. And if he can’t do that, I’m basically useless there.”

“Come on, it was _your first day_ , what do you expect? And you’re used to dishing it back to jerks, right? Not kissing their asses. Give yourself a break.”

“I know how to work in the shop,” Atem tried to counter, but Jounouchi just shook his head as they started the next round in the game.

“That’s stuff like where games go and what the merch is and how the cash drawer works, not how you talk to people. Did you ever handle a customer yourself before today?”

Atem opened his mouth to reply… and shut it again, frowning.

And lost again.

“Geez, you are distracted today,” Jounouchi observed, but Atem wasn’t paying attention. He was too busy staring passed the screen, realizing that his friend had a point. It was one thing to see how Yuugi and Sugoroku talked to the customers, and to imitate that. But that wasn’t the same as knowing how to interpret a customer’s behavior, or swallow his own tongue when he wanted to say something…

He flinched as Jounouchi elbowed him, knocking him out of his daze.

“Come on, you used to run a country, right? Yeah, you don’t remember how, but you managed to keep it together until a stupid thief barged in, so you must have handled it somehow. If you can run a dumb royal court, you can deal with a few starstruck fans and jerks in the shop, right?” Atem stared up at him, openly taken aback… until Jounouchi smirked, and added, “Or are you going to balk and give up after one day?”

 _That_ made the shorter man narrow his eyes and smirk right back. “What do you think?”

Jounouchi snorted, and they just grinned at each other… until a slight noise made them look up, and they realized Yuugi was in the doorway, three sodas balanced in hand and a grin on his face as he leaned _quite_ comfortably against the doorframe.

“Oh, don’t mind me,” he started, but Jounouchi quickly cut in as he rushed back up onto the bed.

“ _Ah_ , shut up and give me my drink.”

Yuugi snickered, tossing a soda over as Atem focused back on the back on the screen… calmly calling over his shoulder.

“Sit down, _aibou_ , so I can kick your ass.”

He heard a choking sound that had to be Jounouchi spitting up his drink, but Yuugi just moved around him and sat down… remaining silent until Atem turned to face him.

“You think you can beat me now?” his partner taunted, a pleased smirk playing at his mouth but his eyes asking if he was okay.

Atem answered with a smile as warm as it was sly. “Try me.”

Yuugi’s grin just widened, and they stared at each other… until Jounouchi poked them both in the back of the head.

“Enough with the pre-show, you two. I came to see some action!”

Yuugi huffed, rubbing the spot their friend just poked as Atem shook his head and focused back on the screen.

“Patience is a virtue, Jounouchi.”

“Screw that.”

Atem snorted and hit START.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Music:** [Hail Rain Or Sunshine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDRy7jqAzP8)
> 
> **[twitter](https://twitter.com/Phoebeus14) :: [tumblr blog](http://bitterseaproduction.tumblr.com/) :: [music](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z) :: [ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/phoebeus)**


	5. Thursday, June 18th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter edited by the lovely [KatNocta](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatNocta/pseuds/KatNocta), who always keeps my commas under control, and helped me get this to you on time from a hotel room. Thank you!
> 
>  **Music:** [World 3 Map](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TbJBYssGOw)

“I can’t believe you’re wasting your first proper day off by getting up early to walk with me,” Yuugi mused aloud with a smile, leaning awkwardly against the front door with his bag caught between his back and the glass as he watched his other self slide on his extra pair of boots.

“I don’t consider that a waste,” Atem countered mildly as he buckled one shoe, tapping the hard heel against the entrance tiles before moving on to his second foot. “But it’s not a full day off. I have to be back in the shop by one, and if you won’t take the money _Jii-chan_ keeps giving me for my shifts-”

“And I won’t,” Yuugi confirmed with misleading mildness, the gaze he paired with his light smile sparking recollection of a recent, hard-fought, and freshly buried argument. “It’s _your_ money. You earned it, and you should spend it however you like.”

“I remember,” Atem sighed… only to look up and meet his partner’s eye at the heavy silence that followed.

Yuugi didn’t say a word, but he spoke well enough with the furrow of a brow and the stiff line of a lip.

His expression only lightened when Atem answered him with a soft look and a smile, freeing Yuugi to relax with the quiet assurance that they weren’t going to start _that_ fight again.

No, Atem shook his head with a light chuckle, tugging his pants hem down over his boots and standing. “And I thought, if I’m going to spend it myself, I might as well do it at that card shop I found with Anzu before. And that’s not far from your school, right?”

“No…” Yuugi allowed, surprise mixing with a wavery acceptance… that fell apart completely as he remembered one crucial fact. “But, most shops won’t be open until after ten. You’ll have to wait around for over an hour if you come with me now.”

“…Will I?” Atem stared at the door beyond his partner with a look he probably thought was _casual_ in its blankness, but Yuugi just arched his brow, watching in bemused silence as his other self shook his head in apparent dismissal. “It doesn’t matter, I’m already ready to go. I can just take a walk around the area until the shop opens.”

“Uh-huh…” The pharaoh darted his gaze to Yuugi at the open amusement in his voice- only to look away again when he saw the knowing smile on his face. Yuugi couldn’t _swear_ it if put on the spot, but he still _really_ , _really_ thought he saw a flush in those dark cheeks. Atem would probably crack and confess in a heartbeat, if he just pushed him… but instead, Yuugi sobered, eyes straining to not drop to the tiles as he said, “I miss them, too.”

…Atem looked up, expression honestly shot blank that time.

And Yuugi smiled through it as he repeated, “Our walks to school, and back? I miss them, too. I mean, I know I see you at home, but that was kind of ‘our thing’, you know?” The confused fog left his other self’s crimson eyes, leaving them steady and quiet as he stared at Yuugi… and Yuugi shrugged against his bag straps, his own features still with veiled tension. “Is… that okay?”

“Of course it is,” Atem answered instantly, that easy smile popping back into place like Yuugi had struck a light switch somewhere by asking. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Then, why were _you_ trying to cover it up?”

Atem… stared, consideration morphing into the cornered look of a deer in headlights.

Until Yuugi started to laugh, prompting a flustered glower from the former king.

“Haha, sorry… Come on, I’ll have to run if we don’t get going.”

“Aa…” Atem mumbled, reluctantly smoothing his own ruffled feathers as his partner opened the door-

“Yuugi-kun, wait!!” The pair turned around, watching with matching curiosity as Yui rushed into the hall, holding something. “You forgot your lunch!”

“What? I- _ah_!” Yuugi instinctively reached back for a side bag pocket and grimaced as, indeed, he felt no familiar sharp corner from his bento box bulging out. “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking.”

“Yes, yes, I’m just glad I caught you. Be more careful next time, or you’ll be stuck spending your allowance at the vending machine,” Yui sighed, handing Yuugi the wrapped box.

“Thanks.” Yuugi shot his mom a contrite smile and turned instantly back to Atem.

“Ready to go?”

“Aa.”

“Okay. Thanks, Mama!”

“R-right,” Yui stuttered, too distracted to reply properly as she watched _both_ teens walk out the front door.

Lingering wariness of their resident stranger dictated she should call out, ask why Atem was going. But the two were busy talking to each other as they left the house, Yuugi holding the door until the other walked through.

“Speaking of food, you don’t have to just wait around for the card shop to open. I think some of the stands in the train station near school are already open. Even if you don’t go _before_ the card shop, you could grab an early lunch there.”

“Right, I remember. There’s a pastry shop you like there, right?”

That answered that, then. Nothing odd about Atem going out, too.

Yet, as the front door swung shut behind them, Yui put out a hand to stop it.

She stepped out onto the doorstep to watch them go.

Neither noticed her, too distracted by the chat that kept their steps slow.

“Atem, it’s _your money_. I told you, _you_ should spend it.”

“I will.”

“And not on _me_.”

“Didn’t you say I should spend my money however I like?”

“Yes, on what _you_ like!”

“Fair enough. But, if you happen to like the same thing-”

“ _Mou hitori no boku_.”

“Or, if I just honestly want to spend my money on something to make you smile, just for the sake of it-”

Yuugi’s steps faltered, only to pick up double time to catch up to the man who hadn’t slowed a moment.

“That, it, you- _why would_ -”

Atem turned to face him, and though Yui couldn’t make out their expressions? “That’s quite an interesting face, _aibou_.”

“ _Would you not_ -”

The so-called reborn ghost of a pharaoh let out a laugh, deep and loose and remarkably carefree.

Yuugi said something in reply, but he hissed it, and they were finally too far away for Yui to hear.

She kept watching anyways, until they turned a corner some blocks down… then finally shut the door after sending a long, considering look in their wake.

* * *

“ _Tadaima_ ,” Atem called as he walked into the house, pocketing the extra key Yuugi had loaned him as he shut and locked the door.

“Is that you, Atem-kun?”

He, stalled… looking up in mild surprise as Yui walked out of the kitchen. He had only called out of an old, inherited habit, and he stumbled in the face of someone actually _answering_ , much less Yuugi’s mother with her serious, expectant eyes. “Ah, yes.”

“I expected you back a while ago. You’re supposed to be in the shop in a few minutes.”

“Sorry,” he belatedly managed, not sure what else to say. Had Yui actually prepared him lunch or something, expecting him back sooner?

Before he could think to ask, her purple eyes dropped down to what he was holding. “Is that a cheesecake?”

“Oh, yes-” Atem looked down at the same bags, a smile lighting and sparking out on his face in the space of a second. He only had two bags in hand, since his new cards were already in his card holster. But while one bag held a copy of Wild Arms he had found on sale, the other? “I stopped by a pastry shop, and this is… Yuugi’s favorite from there,” he admitted, only to start out of the distraction of his confession to look up and frown at Yui. “How did you know it was cheesecake, though?”  

“Because it’s Yuugi’s favorite from there.”

Atem… blinked, unsure how to process that… only for the question to bounce right out of his head when Yui looked down at his feet.

“How are you in those boots?”

He followed her gaze, frowning. “What do you mean?”

“I mean are your feet hurting yet? Can you imagine walking around in those for another few hours?”

Atem opened his mouth, but no logical response came out as he failed to follow her line of questioning.

Yui apparently took it as a denial, as she gestured to the line of shoes behind him. “Put on some of Yuugi’s extra sneakers. I won’t have you hobbling home.”

He shut his mouth with a grimace, fighting back the irritation his frustrated confusion tried to paint his features with. “What do you mean? I’m not going anywhere else today but the shop.”

“Oh, yes you are,” Yui drawled, untying her apron. “I already covered _Otou-san_ in the shop so that he could have an early lunch, and Thursdays tend to be slow, so he’s agreed to loan you to me for the afternoon.”

“Loan… me?” Atem echoed, staring at her in what had to be open shock.

And he swore he saw her smirk for a breath when she glanced his way mid-apron hanging.

“Yes, I need to take the train to the wholesale store, and it’s a pain trying to bring back enough food on my own. You’re going to come and help me carry it back, understand?”

“Yes…” he answered automatically, the fact that he _didn’t_ understand painfully obvious in his voice and expression.

Yui gave a short “Good” despite that, and turned back to him, one hand on her hip as the other went under his nose, palm up. “Now, are you going to give me that cake so that I can store it in the kitchen while you put on those shoes?”

Atem didn’t answer that time, but a single look up into her expectant eyes, and he realized ‘no’ was never an option.

He handed her the cake.

* * *

“No, that’s no good. We need the full loaf,” Yui ordered, waving away the bread being offered.

Atem returned the half-loaf to the shelf just behind them as he wondered just what exactly he was doing there.

He knew helping Yui carry the groceries had to be an excuse of some sort, since she had been taking care of the shopping herself every day of… well, _Yuugi’s_ life. Atem couldn’t remember Yuugi _ever_ coming to one of these huge supermarkets before. If he ever made a food run himself, it was always at the small convenience store just down the street for some forgotten soy sauce or after school treat or something.

This giant food chain was a whole other monster, with at least thirty options for every one product Atem was used to seeing. In a way, he was thankful Yui hadn’t handed him a list or pointed him down an aisle and expected him to find anything.

Unfortunately, that meant he was just trailing behind her as she went about her business, saying nothing.

Just like on the street.

And the train.

They had been together for over an hour, and while they had both been obviously restless, all Yui had bothered to ask him was whether spaghetti napolitan was alright for dinner, and if he was allergic to anything.

And other than saying ‘yes’ and ‘he wasn’t sure’, _he_ hadn’t spoken either.

He just… he kept expecting Yui to _say_ something, explain why she had ordered him to shop with her when she had spent the last week barely speaking to him, outside of dinner table necessities and orders to work in Kame Game.

 _I suppose this isn’t that different from that,_ he mused wryly to himself, getting nothing but a nod and a distracted wave to the shopping cart when he brought a full breadloaf to her.

Perhaps he was just expecting too much meaning from nothing.

As they passed another aisle, Yui spoke up.

“Ah, we shouldn’t have taken so long picking out the meat. If we don’t hurry we’ll miss the train.” She sighed, looking down into her basket. “We have to at least get the noodles for dinner tonight, but I suppose I can skip the coffee…”

“Where is it?”

“Hmm?” Yui shot a confused look at the teen standing beside her, but he just asked again.

“Where is the coffee?”

“Oh, just a couple aisles down that way, but-”

“I’ll meet you at the cash register.”

“Er, what?”

Atem didn’t answer, though. Just wandered the direction Yui had pointed out, leaving her to cock her head at his back.

She hadn’t even told him what to get.

* * *

He was already in line when she arrived.

“Here.” He held up a large bag of ground beans, turning it so that she could see the front label before he dropped it into her basket.

Yui followed the movement with a baffled sort of frown. “You… got the Blue Mountain blend.”

“Yes,” Atem answered, only to drag his eyes off of the bodies in front of them to shoot her an uncertain look. “Is that the wrong one? I remembered the bag from the kitchen.”

“Well, it… _Otou-san_ and I drink Toraja now.”

“ _Right_ ,” he breathed, grimacing down at the coffee bag. “You stopped drinking that.”

“ _Yes_ ,” Yui agreed, but her own stare was incredulous, and pinned on Atem. “It was too expensive, so we switched… _years_ ago.”

“I forgot.” Atem nodded, frowning as he moved to go. “I can still get the Toraja bag if I run back.”

“No, Atem-kun,” she called, stopping the young man just steps away. He turned back, and met her baffled stare for baffled stare. “That’s not the point. Why would you remember seeing Blue Mountain in our kitchen if I haven’t drunk it for years?”

Sure, it could have just been a coincidence if it were just the blend. But he _knew_ she had stopped drinking it! And rather than look confused or thrown, like her, Atem… his expression just darkened.

He stared down at his sneakers.

The silence hung so long that someone tapped her shoulder.

“Excuse me,” the lady behind her sighed, looking awkwardly between them. “Are you going to move?”

Yui turned and realized that the queue had ended, and the cashier was looking at them expectantly. Logically, she should move forward and check out.

She stepped out of line, instead, right up to Atem.

“ _Well_?” she said, crossing her arms in a stubborn, let’s-have-it gesture.

Atem breathed out in a loud huff and looked up, expression flat. “I remembered it.”

“ _How_? I told you, that was years ago. What, were you… were you floating around us even before Yuugi put that puzzle together?”

“No…” he breathed, so quiet she could barely hear it.

“Then _what_?” she insisted, already wondering if she should have saved this for the train, or for when they got home. They would be late for certain at this rate, and… and was he about to say something that they should _not_ be saying out in public?

She feared so, and only more so when Atem eyed about them, as if fearing eavesdroppers, then looked back up at her.

“I remember because _ai_ … because Yuugi does.”

Yui blinked. “He, told you?”

Atem sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. “No, he didn’t. He didn’t have to because the memory is in his head… and I have his memories.”

Yui opened her mouth to reply, got stuck… and then jerked back as she realized she _had_ heard that correctly. “You have his-? But Yuugi-kun hasn’t forgotten anything!”

“No, he… I guess ‘share’ memories would be the better way to say it,” Atem corrected, frowning at something beyond her as he went on. “And ‘shared’ would be more accurate, anyways. I don’t share memories with him anymore. They split the moment he solved the Puzzle. After that, I just… watched…” His expression remained heavy, tense, but something about it wilted with that last word.

He looked downright despondent as he stared at nothing.

And Yui could only stare back… until someone spoke up.

“Excuse me, ma’am?” Yui turned to see the cashier look at them again. The line was completely gone, and the young lady seemed rather, unsure how to handle the pair in front of her. “Is there anything wrong?”

“No! No…” she repeated, looking between the silent teen beside her and the checkout counter before moving forward. “There’s no problem. Come on, Atem-kun.”

He followed without a word.

* * *

They were maybe ten seconds outside of the market before Yui spoke up again.

“Why don’t you start from the beginning?” she suggested, eying the shorter teen over the top of one of her bags as they walked. “I don’t understand all of this magic stuff, so you need to connect the dots for me. How could you have gotten Yuugi’s memories if you weren’t ever possessing him?” Yuugi had certainly made a point to underline that _that_ wasn’t what had happened, after all.

Atem wasn’t quick to reply, though, expression distracted as he walked with her the few blocks to the station… and they covered nearly one and a half before he finally answered. “Possessed isn’t exactly wrong,” he admitted, expecting and not reacting to the stumble in Yui’s step as he went on. “But I didn’t consider it that way at the time. I just thought of it as helping the other me and our friends, facing the people who tried to hurt them.”

Yui recovered with that addendum, but the way he said that - _mou hitori no ore_ \- caught her attention. “I’ve heard Yuugi-kun call you that, too… Why do you do that? Why does _he_?”

Atem looked at her that time, a spark of thrown surprise in his red eyes before he calmed and faced forward again, shrugging with an oddly awkward expression on his face. “Old habit, I suppose. It’s all we knew each other as in the beginning. I was just the other Yuugi who came with the Puzzle.”

“Well yes, that must have been what Yuugi-kun thought at first. But you must have known better.”

“I didn’t,” he countered, meeting surprised look with a steady side stare. “When I awoke, I knew nothing but what was in Yuugi’s head, and that didn’t tell me anything about who _I_ was. I thought the same thing he did, when he finally became aware of me… I thought I was another Yuugi, born from the magic of the Puzzle.”

Yui… could only stare, her gaze ticking down to the named golden pyramid.

She had always thought the thing looked gauche.

“But, you… you realized differently eventually, right?”

“Yes, last fall,” he confirmed, gaze ticking curiously toward Yui when even _that_ made her expression catch. “We ran into someone else with an Item, and he spoke of the ‘intelligence’ within them… that was the first hint that I existed before Yuugi solved the puzzle.”

“But, when did you realize that you used to be a _king_?” she almost hissed, glancing over her shoulder to be sure that no one was hearing all of this. Everyone near them was walking by without any show of interest, though… even when she started and nearly dropped her bags at the answer.

“Ah, late April.”

“What- _two months ago_?!”

“Nearly,” he confirmed, eying her in now open confusion as she struggled to recover. “Why is that so shocking?”

“Well it… Yuugi-kun solved that Puzzle while he was a _first year_ , didn’t he?” At a confirming nod, Yui struggled through a shuddering breath, shaking her head as she started walking again. “That means you were around nearly two years before you knew that!”

“A year-and-a-half,” he corrected, frowning at her. “Why is that so hard to believe?”

“It’s not _hard to believe_ , it’s just… you spent that whole time thinking you were my son?”

Or rather, thinking he was _Yuugi_ … but still the wording fell oddly in her own ear.

And Atem stumbled to a complete stop, staring at her.

She didn’t know what to think of that look… chances were, there was nothing but mute shock behind it. But still, it rang with unsaid reactions, and when Atem finally jerked out of his stare, her own throat was tight with the weight of it.

“I… don’t know what to do with that,” she said, when Atem did not deign to reply.

She knew what the answer would have been, anyways.

“You don’t have to do anything,” Atem insisted, turning and moving forward at a determined pace. “I was wrong, I know that now. And I know who I am now.”

“Still,” Yui insisted, her tones softening without any conscious effort. “That doesn’t change the fact that you have an oddly intimate awareness of what my favorite coffees are.” Atem’s stiff mouth twitched with quiet humor… only to flatten again as Yui went on, adding, “And it doesn’t change the fact that you’re oddly close to my son.”

The return of her gaze was slow, and reluctant.

And she could almost convince herself that she saw fear behind his guarded eyes.

“Is that a problem?”

“I said it was odd, not a problem,” she insisted, giving him a narrowed look as if to say ‘don’t put words in my mouth’. “I don’t understand it. I’ve never been mixed up in _magic_ business before, that’s true, but when I see you two together, it’s pretty hard to remember that you’re some dead royal who Yuugi-kun met through that Puzzle and faced all of those dangerous _things_ with. You seem like you really are just this out-of-towner he’s helping adjust to a new life here… except, you don’t act like a stranger with him. You two are so comfortable with each other, it’s like you’ve known each other your whole lives.”

“Like I said, I do share many of his memories,” he replied simply, shrugging as he faced the road. He had relaxed at some point during her speech, but there was still a guarded manner to his expression that made Yui frown.

“So, it’s the shared memories then?” she asked, following up the question with a second when he nodded. “And you’ve always been this close? The whole time, since he first solved the Puzzle?” Had… Yuugi really had this really, really important person in his life this whole time that she hadn’t even been aware of? She had accepted when she first learned of this pharaoh, and the demon, and all of it that she was far, far too unaware of what was going on in her son’s life… but _this_ …

Atem had stalled again, though, his expression sliding through such shifts that it broke through even Yui’s distracted thoughts.

“No,” he finally said, staring with the most guarded look yet at the street before them. “We weren’t. Like I said, he wasn’t aware of me for a long while. At times, he was even afraid of me… and I didn’t consider him _nearly_ as much as I should have. I just… I didn’t see him.”

And he clearly didn’t mean that he was _unaware_ of him.

Rather than question that, though, Yui craned her head to try and meet his eye, barely watching where she was going in the process. “When did that change, then? Why?”

Given little choice, Atem met her eye… and quickly looked away again, clearly uncomfortable with the scrutiny. “He helped me, forgave me, and we just… talked.”

“ _Talked_ ,” Yui repeated, brow arching with open skepticism.

But Atem just shrugged again, staring at the ground.

And, honestly? Yui might have left it at that. It was clear Atem was wary of sharing anything else, and she didn’t sense any of the dark weight behind this silence, as she had with the matter of who he was and how his identity worked. And really, with _this_ she could at least try again with Yuugi himself. He _was_ the other half of this mystery, after all.

But, just as she had gotten used to the silence, and the station was coming into view?

“I don’t mean to imply he wasn’t important to me from the beginning,” Atem spoke up, prompting Yui to pause her steps… just as he already had, a few feet behind her.

She looked to him, but he was looking at the ground… his expression oddly serene. “I thought of him as me at the start, but even then I had the sense to be grateful to him. He solved the Puzzle, after all. Released me, and connected me to the world and myself and our friends, but… until I truly looked at him, face-to-face, he was important to me because of _what_ he was to me, _mou hitori no ore_. But that, _changed_ ,” he said, suddenly stumbling on the word. The furrow returned to his brow… but when he looked up, there was still a sheen in his gaze that kept Yui quietly riveted. “I learned to trust him there, on the island during Pegasus’s tournament. But it really _was_ the talking that changed things. He invited me to spend time with him, without any need for it. And we talked and, I started leaving the Puzzle any chance I could get, to be with him.”

Yui had no idea how to interpret _that_ in the literal sense, since Atem had apparently still been a spirit up until last Saturday.

But the meaning was clear enough in Atem’s sudden smile, and… “It gave me a chance to see how _wonderful_ he truly is, and it… gave a meaning to my ‘life’ I hadn’t known before, getting to see him smile from the outside, not just the inside. And he-” he stumbled, catching on some unknown word as he shot his gaze down the sidewalk, clearly struggling for how to say something at the tip of his tongue.

And Yui just, waited, caught on this explanation that was so shocking, and yet… so expected, in its way.

Atem finally looked up again, expression calmed into a quiet neutrality, but his voice echoing with a barely contained awe. “We’re close because… _aibou_ is important to me, because… he’s _Yuugi_.”

Somewhere a car backfired, somebody yelled, and people moved around them in a steady stream in and out of the station, never stopping to consider the pair blocking their way.

And Yui remained distantly, yet sharply conscious of it all as she stared at the young man… this truly _young man_ who snapped at her father-in-law’s customers, avoided all of her fish dishes, quietly haunted her house, and spoke of her son like he had hung the moon and the stars.

And while Atem looked oddly satisfied with himself, he still broke their gaze first, shifting on his feet as he looked beyond. “We should hurry if we’re going to catch the next train.”

“Right…” Yui mumbled, making no protest as Atem moved gingerly past her.

She followed without a word.

The train proved to be relatively uncrowded once they boarded. They were even able to sit down, even if they had to keep their groceries piled on their laps. The starts and stops at the station points jerked their bags mercilessly, but Yui endured with practiced ease, and her mind was free enough to consider the teen sitting beside her.

Atem was staring at the back of some suited businessman, but he kept skirting looks _almost_ in her direction, as if he didn’t want to even _chance_ being caught looking at her.

He was clearly wondering if she would say something, though.

And she did, eventually, sighing as she fidgeting in her seat. “I knew it was a bad idea to leave my book behind. Here I thought I would be too busy talking to you, and now we have a seat and nothing to do.” She met Atem’s eye as he finally looked at her, his own expression bemused. “I usually read when I get caught on the train, you know.”

“I know,” he assured, voice languid with meaning. And when Yui snorted at the little reminder at his ‘memories’, he even dared the smallest of smiles. “What book was it?”

“Oh, just an old Yamasaki Toyoko novel,” she dismissed, only to shoot Atem a curious look as his eyes lit up in recognition.

“ _Karei naru Ichizoku_?”

“No, _Fumō Chitai_ ,” she corrected, even as she gaped at Atem in open surprise. “You know _Karei naru Ichizoku_?”

“Yes, you let _ai_ … Yuugi read it during his last school break, remember?”

“You can stop correcting yourself,” she tossed out, even as she grimaced at his answer. “I was always unsure if I should have let him read that one. But, _you_ remember it?” she emphasized, turning her focus back on Atem. “That wasn’t before Yuugi solved the Puzzle.”

“We read it together,” he replied, and Yui’s expression smoothed out to match Atem’s easy regard as she nodded.

“Right… did you like that book?”

“It was interesting, well-written… very sad, though,” he mused, a heavy frown marring his face as he recalled the details. “I never liked that the father only felt guilty about his son’s death _after_ he found out the truth and the letter.”

“No one ever claimed the father was a good person. My reading group decided the point of the story was the tragedy of the son’s circumstances,” Yui countered, and the anger in Atem’s expression ebbed away.

“Aa, I can see that…”

“…Would you like to read _Fumō Chitai_ , too?” she offered, shrugging when Atem blinked back at her in surprise. “It’s no sequel, but it’s the same author. And I will be done with it in a few days, and you should have the time to borrow it, if you want it. You can’t spend every day working in the shop, and I only need help on these grocery runs once every few weeks.”

Something stuttered in Atem’s eyes at her last point, but he didn’t say anything about it, even when she stared at him expectantly. He stared back at her, the tension finally sliding out of his face as he nodded. “I’d like that… Thank you.”

“My pleasure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **[twitter](https://twitter.com/Phoebeus14) :: [tumblr blog](http://bitterseaproduction.tumblr.com/) :: [music](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z) :: [ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/phoebeus)**


	6. Refusal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Music:** [Someday the Dream Will End](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcFgelgVJ9Q)

He was in the desert.

There was nothing but sand beneath him and black skies above, crackling doom with every bolt of lightning.

And he could not fly… so he ran.

Every step threatened to swallow him whole, bury him alive and leave him for nothing, a forgotten victim to the shadows of that world.

But he could not fall. Could not die. He had to… _he had to_ … had to…

He had to find him!

And he did.

He found him, collapsed on the ground, just as he remembered.

Blood at his mouth, gold everywhere.

Dead.

But this time, there was no one there to cry with Yuugi as he collapsed to his knees.

And when he reached for the broken puzzle, the pieces dissolved and slipped between his fingers, nothing but _sand_ and-

He had to let him go.

 _No_ …

He had to let him go.

_No._

He _had to-_

 _No no nonononopleaseno not like this not now not ever just_ **_please_** _-_

He reached for that face, but it crumbled, too. Turned away and denied his fingers and returned to the sands. The sands of a kingdom long gone, but ever there. Ready to swallow up and claim back its king, lost so long ago.

The sands left Yuugi with nothing.

Nothing but blood and tears.

He cried, fell, but the sands refused to swallow him, too.

The lightning crashed around him.

Screamed.

Cried out to, him… cried out for-

“ _Aibou_!”

He choked on a sob, dazed as he jerked and… and something kept him still.

Hands. Hands, holding him down by the arms.

He was on his back.

He opened his eyes, and everything was a dim, dark blur.

But he could still make out crimson eyes staring back him, shot with worry.

“ _Aibou_ , wake up! You’re-” Atem stuttered into silence as Yuugi twisted, twisted out of his grip only to sit up. Reach out and tangle his arms around him, bury his face in his chest and _breathe_.

He was… Atem was there. _Right there_ , in his arms. Alive, and breathing, with a heart all his own.

A heart that beat a heady rhythm against Yuugi’s ear as he shut his eyes and repeated all of those wondrous truths to himself, over and over again.

And that heartbeat was all he could hear as Atem went still… saying not a word as Yuugi clung to him.

He didn’t need to speak, though. A few seconds’ time was all it took for reality to right itself, and Yuugi’s eyes shot open as he jerked back.

“I… Sorry, I-”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” Atem interrupted, the bewildered glaze clearing from his eyes as he read the horror on Yuugi’s face. His hands went up, caught the pair hovering lost between them by the palms and squeezed them gently as he asked, “But, what’s wrong? You’re crying.”

Yuugi blinked, his dazed focus on their linked hands turning on himself, and… he was. There were tears in his eyes, still flowing.

He pulled one hand free to run knuckles through the stain they left on his cheek. “I… It was just a dream, I don’t know…”

But, he did.

He might still be too shaken to say it right, and his world was still soundly thrown off its axis, caught between the loss of his nightmare and that skin, warm between his fingers, but he knew… he remembered.

He knew the dream had bled into reality because it had been _too real_.

But as he sniffled, and fought back the tears? Atem didn’t ask.

Not with words.

His gaze ticked across Yuugi’s face, scrutinized every inch, every pore in a clear hunt for insight… but the question remained purely in his eyes.

He did not demand.

And that worry-lined consideration brought the truth bubbling up to Yuugi’s tongue.

“It was, you know… what happened? Back at the museum? In the game board world?” he asked more than explained, stalling with each line to see if the question left Atem’s gaze. If Yuugi would have to actually _say it_. “When… when it, collapsed?”

Finally, the pharaoh’s expression cleared… and sombered with understanding.

“Oh.”

Yuugi nodded.

Atem’s gaze fogged the way it always did when he was considering something, and Yuugi waited… eyes dropping down to their laps in the quiet.

The pharaoh was sitting on the edge of Yuugi’s bed, and the narrow space meant that he had settled close, his hip brushing Yuugi’s thigh through the bed covers.

And their still joined hands were resting on _Atem’s_ thigh.

Yuugi was sharply aware of that, there in the silence. The oddness of it… but he did not pull away.

Atem’s grip was firm, constant, and reassuringly palpable in the wake of Yuugi’s dreams.

So he clutched back, milking comfort from the fact nothing crumbled beneath his fingers.

“I’m sorry.”

Yuugi blinked, looked back up.

Atem’s expression was almost flat in its stillness.

It was a look Yuugi knew well, unclear as it was. It was the face his other self always wore when he was stifling something within himself… or, more benignly, when he just didn’t know how to process something.

But where there was always something inherently _defiant_ about that look when Atem wore it in the heat of battle, across the field from an opponent? There was… something oddly resigned about it, when he looked at _Yuugi_.

When it was just the two of them.

“I should have realized how hard it was for you. But you were _so strong_ the whole time I saw you there, in that world, and so composed when you explained the challenges I missed. I didn’t consider… but I should have realized.” Atem looked down at their laps just as Yuugi had a moment ago, expression still fogged over.

But Yuugi did not follow his gaze. He stared at his other self’s tilted brow, and shook his head. Squeezed his hand until Atem thought to look up and see his watery smile. “I _wanted_ you to see me as strong, so… don’t be sorry about that. That’s good. And, it’s nothing that really, _really_ happened that gave me nightmares. Just the idea that we could have lost you.”

Atem had started nodding his comprehension as Yuugi talked, but… his expression tensed at the last, and Yuugi?

His own words echoed back at him.

His throat tightened.

He… everything was too sharp, too quiet.

The impulse to excuse, laugh, and turn away was screaming in his ear.

“You know… _that_ way. With… Zorc, killing you…”

The words hummed with something far, far too close to a lie.

But Atem smiled for him, just slightly. “Of course, I understand.”

And Yuugi nodded, breathed a little easier… unsure why a certain part of his chest refused to unclench.

“Sorry,” he breathed again, his fingers pulsing over Atem’s before sliding loose from their grip.

Atem watched the retreat with caught, unblinking eyes, before frowning up at him. “I told you, you don’t have to apologize.”

“Not for _that_ -” Yuugi corrected, gesturing between them with a jerky hand and embarrassed flush. “I mean for waking you up in the first place. …Was I really that loud?”

“Oh… no, you weren’t. You were just breathing oddly,” Atem assured, shaking his head and smiling as he belatedly pulled back the hand Yuugi had abandoned to cross his arms. “And you didn’t wake me up. I wasn’t even sleeping.” Yuugi stalled the nod he had been giving to look at his other self with a start, shooting him a surprised look until Atem’s smile waned and he looked away, to the desk just beside them, and the Puzzle resting upon it. “I… had a bad dream, too.”

…Of course.

“Right…” Yuugi looked down at the futon laid out just beside his bed, that confession the final piece of a puzzle that had been troubling him. “You’ve been having bad dreams a lot, haven’t you?”

Atem didn’t answer, but when Yuugi looked up he read the truth in the surprise on his other self’s face. That loose, open expression drew a smile out of Yuugi as he explained, “You’ve been awake before me almost everyday this week, dressed and ready to go before I’m even out of bed. And I can tell you’ve been tired, so it _can’t_ be you just need less sleep than me… You’re just wary to sleep, aren’t you?”

“No… But it is hard to fall _back_ to sleep after I wake up.”

From a nightmare.

He didn’t say that, but Yuugi could read it in the self-conscious tinge of the smile Atem shot him. “I should have known I couldn’t hide it from you, though.”

“To your credit, I didn’t really get _why_ until just now,” Yuugi defended him, matching his self-effacing grin for a moment… only to slowly relax into an uncertain stare. “Do you… want to talk about it?” It felt unfair somehow to ask, after trying to hide the substance of his _own_ dreams, but…

Atem shook his head, shooting him an openly lost look. “I’m not sure what I would even say… I just keep imagining what might have happened to my friends, and our friends, and _you_ , there in that world, the same as you… and thinking that, some of it might even have been true. Might have actually happened that way, the first time around.”

“Right…” Yuugi breathed. Atem had said that, that he wasn’t sure… he had watched friends he didn’t remember but still cared for die around him, and never even learned the truth of it. What really happened that first time? Had the _real_ priests and priestess and others all died facing Zorc, thousands of years ago? Had some of them made it, but not others? Surely _someone_ had walked away to bury the king, gather the Puzzle, and establish that prophecy.

It was a mystery long buried in the sands, though… and Atem wiped the matter from Yuugi’s mind as he went on, gaze falling back on the gold of the Puzzle as he said, “Everyone from that world is gone without a trace, at least as they were, and being here myself… ‘alive’ like this? It feels like I’m breaking some sort of rule. Like someone made a mistake.”

He couldn’t help it. Yuugi sucked in a breath so quick that Atem looked back at him, and he couldn’t even react to the alarm on Atem’s face as shock ran dark and rampant through his own head. “ _Mou hitori no boku_ -”

“I don’t mean that I wish I had disappeared, too,” Atem cut in, so quick and on the point that for one wild moment, Yuugi was certain he had read his mind.

But no, the pharaoh went on, the reassuring smile on his face quieting the pulse in Yuugi’s ear. “Or, that I was still tied to the Puzzle. Just that… it feels like some god might pop up at any moment and say, I am right. That I’m not supposed to be like this. Then they’ll erase this body and put me back inside the Puzzle… or, maybe that world.” And Atem looked down at his own still unfamiliar hands, flexing and clenching the fingers with a frown more baffled than distressed. “Sometimes it just… feels too good to be true.”

…Yuugi smiled.

It hurt in its way, smiling, but he couldn’t help it.

He understood.

And even as the same fear beat in his chest, ran _much_ deeper than the nightmare Atem described?

He reached for him.

Atem blinked out of some daze that had caught him as Yuugi clutched both of his wrists… and jumped as Yuugi leaned in, hovered in his face so close he could have blown in Atem’s eye and made him blink.

He knew how strange it was, but Yuugi _needed_ to look his other self clean in the eye, close enough that even the shadows of the room could not obstruct their gaze.

And lucky for him, however shocked he might be, Atem did not pull away.

“That’s not going to happen,” Yuugi assured, steel lining the warmth in his voice. “We won, and why ever you got this body, it’s real. _This_ is real.” He squeezed the thin wrists in his grip for emphasis, earning a mirroring clutch from hesitant fingers. “That can’t just disappear again so easily. And if any gods pop up to try and take you back, they’ll have to go through me first.”

Practically nose-to-nose, Yuugi saw it firsthand as wonder sliced through the tender confusion in those rich red eyes… and dissolved that quiet emotion into something far, far steadier, and fond.

The hold on his own wrists turned firm as Atem smiled. “I don’t doubt it… and I would pity any deity daft enough to try and make an enemy of _you_.”

Yuugi sniffed, hearing _Atem_ of all people saying that. After all, they both knew _which_ of them had actually managed to summon gods and defeat demons… but still, a grin twitched at Yuugi’s lips.

Because if the occasion called for it, he would certainly _try_ …

“Yeah well, I can’t let anything happen to you…” he remarked, words trailing off… only for his tone to lighten suddenly as he teased. “Mama would be heartbroken if something happened to her shopping buddy.”

Atem snorted, and Yuugi laughed, some tension the teen hadn’t even been conscious of dissipating with the humor.

“I knew I shouldn’t have told you about that.”

“Told me? You barely mentioned it. If Mama hadn’t gone on about how quiet and helpful you were, I wouldn’t have even known.”

“There just wasn’t anything to tell,” Atem protested… only for his glower to smooth out as he eyed Yuugi with hesitant surprise. “She thought I was helpful?”

Yuugi didn’t answer. He just beamed until Atem shook his head, snorting with a wry smile for his own question.

“… There are probably better times for this than two o’clock in the morning.”

“Probably,” Yuugi agreed, only for his smile to somber as Atem moved to pull away. He tightened his grip, stalling the pharaoh before he could move so much as an inch. “Are you going to be alright, though? You said you couldn’t sleep… I could stay up with you, if you like. Keep talking or, play a game or something.”

The question in Atem’s eyes instantly warmed at the offer, but he shook his head. “No, _aibou_ … I should be fine now. Talking to you was all I needed to relax.”

The stubborn tightness within Yuugi finally unwound itself as he smiled, caught in his other self’s mirroring gaze… until Atem made his chest clench all over again.

The pharaoh leaned that tiny bit closer and tapped his brow against Yuugi’s… only to pull away again in the same breath.

Yuugi instantly reached up to touch the spot, rubbing bewildered fingers over his brow as Atem released him and stood.

“We should go back to sleep. You have a test tomorrow, after all… _aibou_?”

Yuugi blinked and looked up, lowering his hand. “Huh?”

Atem tilted his head to the side, one sharp brow arching in question. “Sleep?”

“ _Oh_ , right. Right,” Yuugi shook his head, shooting his other self an apologetic grin as he straightened the blankets over his lap. “Sorry… though, I don’t know why you’re so worried about _my_ rest. You have just as much to do tomorrow.”

“I’m just working in the shop,” Atem protested as he flopped down on his futon, twisting around to fluff his pillow.

Yuugi snorted behind him. “Yeah, but _Jii-chan_ always gets weekly orders in on Fridays. You’re going to be unboxing and setting up new displays for _hours_.”

“The horror,” Atem lamented in a flat, wry voice, shooting Yuugi a grin when he chuckled.

Neither spoke as they settled into bed, lying back and wiggling under the covers. For all purposes, it looked like the conversation was over for the night.

…But Atem spoke up as soon as everything went still.

“It’s not so bad.”

Yuugi rolled onto his side and watched the silhouette of Atem’s head tilt in his direction. And even if he couldn’t see his other self’s eyes, that far away in the dark, he could still feel the gaze set on him.

“Working in the shop… and everything… I don’t mind it.”

The comment was as simple as it was vague and random…  and yet Yuugi smiled, understanding the substance, if not the specifics of what he meant.

Atem was happy.

“I’m glad.”

And he couldn’t see it, but he knew Atem smiled.

Yuugi reached back and pulled his pillow under his head, settling there on the edge of his bed… still facing Atem. “Good night, _mou hitori no boku_.”

Atem rolled onto his side, facing _him_ , and went still. “Good night, _aibou_.”

Yuugi’s lips twitched, and he relaxed, falling silent… eyes still fixed on the shadow on the floor.

He stared at his other self until sleep finally made him shut his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Music:** [Agape](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFW5YkWj788)
> 
> **[twitter](https://twitter.com/Phoebeus14) :: [tumblr blog](http://bitterseaproduction.tumblr.com/) :: [music](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z) :: [ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/phoebeus)**


	7. Saturday, June 20th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter edited by [KatNocta](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatNocta/pseuds/KatNocta). You have no idea how many typos you are being protected from by this one, pure soul.
> 
>  **Music:** [Caffeine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sRwTQYG6Fk) (Though it's really just the middle scenes!)

“ _Hey_ , Atem!!!”

His head jerked up at the call and he turned to stare down the street, recognizing the voice in an instant.

That was… yes, that was Jounouchi running up the sidewalk.

Atem hiked his duffel bag a little higher up on his shoulder and pulled away from the wall of the electronics shop he had been hovering in front of for a good ten minutes or so, waiting for his partner to appear. They had set the place as a meeting spot that morning, before Yuugi left for school. Atem would have rather have met him _at_ school, but Yuugi had made a good argument against it, saying that he was worried a teacher would see him and get suspicious of his open truancy. A teen Atem’s age should be in school, after all, and if the school got too nosy, it might lead to trouble.

So, Atem had agreed and waited there by that store, just a minute’s walk from the gate.

But it wasn’t _Yuugi_ coming towards him.

“Yo,” Atem greeted, pulling one hand from his jean pocket to wave as Jounouchi sprinted up to him, nearly keeling over as he skidded to a stop. “What are you doing here?”

“Haha, what?” Jounouchi teased between pants, leaning over with his hands on his knees as he fought to catch his breath. “A guy can’t say hello to a friend?”

“He can,” Atem agreed, never dropping his knowing smirk. “But that doesn’t explain why you knew I’d be here, or ran up like that.”

Jounouchi gave a dismissive wave, finally righting himself. “Just excited, wanted to see if you were here yet,” he explained, pointing behind him with a thumb and a grin. “The others are right behind me, then we can all go!”

_Go?_

Atem followed his gesture with curious eyes, only to watch in half-wonder, half-expectation as three others rounded the street corner and rushed towards them.

“Hi, Atem-kun!” Bakura called from the front, his greeting quickly echoed by Honda and Otogi, who were rushing up beside him.

“Why’d you have to run up ahead?” Honda asked as soon as Atem answered them, shooting a glare at Jounouchi. “We were supposed to surprise him together!”

“Surprise?” Atem echoed, only for Jounouchi to drown out his casual curiosity.

“I surprised him just fine on my own! It’s not my fault you guys can’t keep up with me.”

“Does that go for Anzu-chan and _Yuugi-kun_ , too?” Otogi prodded, smirking slightly as Jounouchi shut his mouth with a snap.

“Er…”

“What… is with… all of you?!” Anzu cried, suddenly there between a jolting Honda and Bakura, gasping for breath as she glared up at Jounouchi. “This… wasn’t a _race_ , and you know you’re taller and faster, so why did you rush ahead?! Yuugi-kun tripped at the corner trying to keep up with you!”

“It’s fine, Anzu-chan,” chimed in a sixth voice, cutting through the frazzled tension among the group and stalling Atem’s alarm before it could even spark. Yuugi slid into view, as breathless as the rest of them, color high in his cheek from the exertion as he looked between the lot of them with a sheepish smile. “It’s my own fault for not watching my feet.”

“Sorry, Yuugi…” Jounouchi grumbled anyway, curbing the protective ire still lingering in Anzu’s frown and earning a happy grin from his best friend… until Yuugi turned his attention to _him_ , standing there across the little crowd.

His grin shifted into a bright beam under Atem’s intrigued eye.

“ _Mou hitori no boku_ , you made it!”

“Of course, you asked me to come,” Atem answered, his own breathe-easy cheer in the presence of his partner layered beneath an open curiosity of the group around them. “Though you didn’t tell me we were _all_ going to meet here… And what’s this I hear about a ‘surprise’?”

His benign suspicion only grew as Jounouchi snickered, and Anzu and Honda and everyone else eyed one another without a word. They were up to something, that much was obvious… and if a single person was behind whatever it was, Atem had a good idea who to turn to.

He shifted his gaze back to Yuugi… but he just grinned at him, warm plum eyes quietly laughing.

“Did you bring the clothes I asked for?” Yuugi asked, wiping the scrutiny from Atem’s gaze as he turned his focus down, onto the duffel at his side.

“Yes, I think I got it all.” He shrugged the strap off of his shoulder as he stepped forward, offering the bag to his partner. “Pajamas, travel futon, and two sets of clothes, including an old pair of jeans and a t-shirt.” He turned an uncertain eye Honda’s way, looking at him over Yuugi’s shoulder. “I had assumed _aibou_ was staying at your place tonight.” It wasn’t something he got to do often, but Yuugi had gone over to Honda’s a good dozen times or so in the last couple of years, when weekends were quiet enough, homework was light, and he wasn’t working in the shop or going to museums or tournaments for Atem’s sake. Jounouchi was always a third on the trips, but sometimes Bakura or Otogi would tag along, too. Now and then Anzu would even join them for the evening, though she usually avoided the place since Honda’s sister lived at home and Johji would toddle around after her, demanding all of her attention if she was there.

And yeah, Atem couldn’t join them since he had to work in the game shop, but he was happy to meet Yuugi and bring him his clothes. Honda’s house was the opposite way from school, after all, and it was always a pain for Yuugi to have to come all the way home for his stuff, and double back to Honda’s. It was just practical to ask Atem to bring the clothes halfway, so Yuugi wouldn’t have to cram them in his shoe locker all day.

But Honda was shaking his head, a rather satisfied grin on his face. “Close, man, but no cigar.”

“Right,” Yuugi agreed… and reached up to push the bag _back_ into Atem’s arms. “And the clothes aren’t for me.”

Atem blinked. “What do you mean?”

Yuugi grinned. “They’re for you.”

“…What?”

Yuugi opened his mouth to answer, but a hand clapped against Atem’s back before he could get out a word, and both of them turned to look up into Jounouchi’s beaming face.

“Seriously man, you don’t get it? We’re having a sleepover! _All of us_!”

“We’re- what?” Atem repeated on a stumble, the words registering but his mind struggling to rearrange around this new idea.

This new arrangement that included _him_.

“My father’s out of town until Wednesday for an exhibit in Kyoto,” Bakura piped in, drawing all eyes to him and his own excited smile. “And I asked him before he left if I could have friends over for the weekend. We’re all staying at my place until school Monday morning.”

“I still can’t believe he was okay with that- and especially _me_ staying overnight,” Anzu mused, her words barely a hum over the confusion singing in Atem’s head.

Bakura shot her an utterly baffled look. “Why would _you_ be a problem?”

“Because I’m a _girl_?”

“Oh… yes, I suppose I should have mentioned that to him,” Bakura answered, mumbling like he was talking to himself.

Anzu grimaced, expression twisting around at least five different emotions before she settled on a strangled, “Bakura-kun…”

“The more curious question to _me_ ,” Otogi cut in, shooting a musing gaze at Anzu. “Is how you convinced _your_ parents to let you come along. They never let you stay at Honda’s.”

The question seemed to knock Anzu out of her astonishment, as she shook her distress off and waved a dismissive hand towards Otogi. “Oh, that’s just because it’s Honda. My mom likes Bakura-kun too much to worry about me being at _his_ place. He’s been helping her with cooking, after all.”

“Helping her… what?” Otogi struggled to echo, turning a shocked stare Bakura’s way.

He just smiled. “She really liked the homemade mochi I sent home with Anzu-chan last New Years, so she asked me for some informal tutoring. Oh, and I was thinking I’d make omelette crepes in the morning? Mazaki-san really liked those the last time I made them.”

“Er-”

“Whoa, hold up,” Honda cut in before Otogi could properly reply, glowering at Anzu. “Why doesn’t your mom like me?”

“You think she didn’t hear about you and Jounouchi bullying Yuugi-kun back when we first met, and what you did to me and the other girls? Besides, she saw you come up on your motorcycle the last time you came by.”

“What’s wrong with my motorcycle?!”

“ _Wait,_ ” Atem cut in, his whirling mind finally stalling enough to speak up among the chatter.

Everyone turned his way- except for his partner.

Yuugi had been watching him the entire time.

“We are… actually all going to Bakura’s?” he asked, a lost frown marring his face. “But I have a double shift in the shop tomorrow, how could I-”

“Um,” Yuugi stumbled, his quiet amusement turning sheepish as Atem’s gaze honed in on him, already racing ahead with a guess at what his partner confessed. “I may have asked _Jii-chan_ to pretend he couldn’t cover in the morning, while Mama was out of town… and asked Mama to say she’d have to be in the city longer than usual, after her club’s meeting. But, they’re actually both working tomorrow… and they know we’re going to be gone.”

Yuugi’s smile was questioning, as if asking if he should apologize, but Atem was too busy marveling to properly reassure him.

He had gone to _that_ much trouble just to…

Atem opened his mouth to speak… and shut it…

And clenched it as Jounouchi smacked him on the back again, making him stumble.

“Come on, man! Aren’t you excited?! We’re all spending the weekend together!”

“Yes,” Bakura agreed, smiling at Atem as though blind to his struggle to keep himself on his feet. “I’m really happy to be able to play host while you enjoy your first full, no-danger weekend as a full-fledged person.”

“That’s a _weird_ way to put that,” Otogi mumbled, side-eyeing Bakura as Anzu focused on Atem, drawing his attention with her soft, uncertain voice.

“We all thought of stuff we would like to do together with you, and that we thought _you_ would like, too, so…”

“But,” Atem started, his gaze zipping between the six hopeful, expectant faces before him as he just… stumbled into the only question he could think to ask. “Why?”

“ _Because_! We want to celebrate!” she answered, the hesitance leaving her face as she smiled, cheeks flushing brightly. “It’s like Yuugi-kun said, right? That we should all be celebrating the time we have, as well as we can!”

Atem… slowly turned to his partner, catching his eye to ask… he wasn’t even sure, with his gaze. He just _asked_ , without a single word.

And Yuugi just smiled, a completely satisfied, at-ease light in his eyes.

He didn’t say anything either, but Atem still felt some uncertain tension he couldn’t even name unraveling around his heart, releasing it to beat freely.

“Atem?” Anzu asked after a long stall, prompting Atem to blink out of his silent exchange to shoot them all an easy smirk.

“I have to say, you surprised me.”

The hopeful hesitance on their faces erupted into full-out grins, and Jounouchi laughed as he swung an arm around Atem’s shoulder, tugging him close. And even if he never relaxed into it, Atem grinned right back up at him as he asked, “Does that mean you’re coming with us?”

“What do you think? Of course I am.”

“Thank goodness,” Anzu breathed, and Atem’s expression softened some, realizing how relieved his friends were… how much they were doing for him.

They had set up a weekend in his honor.

And he wanted to thank them for it already, but instead he pulled away from Jounouchi and asked, “But what are we doing?” as he looked around the group.

It was Otogi who spoke up, grinning with an odd sort of pride. “Well, I have this friend? I made a deal with him to get us private access for the entire afternoon at-” he started, only to stumble to a stop and shut his mouth preemptively as he locked eyes with someone.

Atem followed his gaze, and discovered his partner… giving Otogi a shushing motion.

When Yuugi turned back to see Atem eying him with a raised brow, he just smiled. “It’s a _surprise_ ,” he emphasized, motioning with his head for the group to follow as he started walking up the street. “We’ll have dinner at a pizza place afterwards, and head to Bakura-kun’s for… something _else_ tonight, and stay up late doing that. And then when we wake up tomorrow, we can play games and duel and do whatever you like until we all get worn out and just want to crash with a movie or two before bed.”

“Like we’d get sick of dueling!” Jounouchi scoffed, earning a snort from Anzu somewhere farther back in the group.

Atem was too busy side-eyeing his partner to acknowledge it. “But, you’re not going to tell me where we’re going _now_.”

Yuugi looked back at him… and gave a little smirk that shot his pulse through the roof with the thrill of the unknown.

“Nope.”

* * *

“Dude, _don’t go out there_! You’ll get-”

“Shit!” Jounouchi cried, ducking his head back just as something whipped past his ear.

A paintball exploded and oozed red down the room wall as Honda snapped.

“Don’t look so blindly!”

“Don’t yell so much, they’ll find us!”

“They already know we’re here,” Yuugi observed, bringing both of his friends’ screams to an end as they grimaced at their friend, standing beside them behind the divider wall.

They were cornered.

They had focused too much on watching one another’s backs and too little on where Anzu, Otogi, and Atem had been leading them with their assault.

 _I should have seen it_ , Yuugi berated himself, foresight leaving him completely aware of _how_ his other self and friends had cut off every other path across the paintball course and led them into running all too willingly to that side of the giant room, and then left them with no choice but to duck behind that wall.

Now the only way back out into the field was _that_ exit… and their friends clearly had their paint guns trained on the opening.

It seemed inevitable. Either the other team would ambush them in their corner… or they would wait them out, until the three grew careless enough to show themselves.

“This sucks,” Jounouchi breathed, his grumble earning a _smile_ from his shorter spiky-haired friend.

“So you’re not having fun?”

“Oh, _don’t get me wrong_ , this is awesome!” Jounouchi hissed, jumping out of his glower to grin right back at him. “I can’t believe Bakura _volunteered_ to be the first one to sit out!”

“Yeah, I’ll have to take his place so he can play in the next round.”

“Don’t you dare, Yuugi. I need you here to back me up.”

Honda snorted, never taking his eyes off of the edge of the wall. “We pick teams by straws, remember?”

“Whatever,” Jounouchi started, only to flinch and duck back as they all heard the telltale sound of footsteps running… and then stalling, way, way too close to them.

Yuugi swallowed, held up his gun… felt the tension of someone being there, just out of sight. And he would have watched forever… except Jounouchi hissed at him, words barely a whisper.

“Hey… you can win even if you’re hit, right? It’s whoever has a team member standing last, right?”

“Right,” Yuugi breathed, only to jolt halfway upright to gape at Jounouchi. “You aren’t-”

He didn’t even get to finish. Jounouchi just pulled down his safety goggles, shooting him a quick thumbs up. “Get to that loft thing, asap!”

“ _Jounouchi-kun_!” Yuugi hissed, but it was no good. His friend had already run out from behind the wall.

“What is he-”

“ _Just go_!” Yuugi snapped, prompting Honda to stop questioning and _start running_ as they heard a barrage of pellets being shot.

They didn’t look. They just _bolted_ for the ‘tunnel’ that Yuugi knew was just ten feet from the cover of the wall. Even as they made it inside he felt a ‘bullet’ whiz by his head and splat on the tunnel wall, a shot managing to get through one of the little slit ‘windows’ that created vulnerabilities in the tunnel and made it a poor choice for a long term base or hideaway in the game. But it at least created a viable shortcut to the other side of the room, and to the target Jounouchi mentioned.

“Come on!” Honda yelled, skidding to a stop at the edge of the fort loft, turning and lacing his fingers together to give Yuugi a boost the moment he caught up to him. Yuugi didn’t even slow his pace. Just tossed the paint gun’s strap over his shoulder, ran right into the step into Honda’s hand, and stretched his hands to catch the ladder rung Honda threw him up to grab. His feet nearly tangled beneath him in the reckless jump, but he righted himself with the help of expectation and adrenaline, and climbed the rest of the way up to the little loft.

He was already crouching behind the loft wall when Honda joined him, flopping down beside him on the floor.

The air went still save for the sound of their shaken breath, and the echo of paintballs still flying.

“Can’t… believe… he’s still not down,” Honda painted, and Yuugi grimaced down at his sneakers.

Jounouchi had just taken a bullet for them. Maybe not _yet_ , since the other team wouldn’t still be shooting on that end of the room if they had taken Jounouchi out, but still… it was three against one. It was a given.

Jounouchi was going down.

“Hey, Yuugi.” Honda knocked him against his shoulder, jolting him out of his thoughts as he took off and prepped his gun. “It’s just a game.”

Yuugi blinked up into Honda’s easy stare, then shook his head, laughing lightly. “Right, right… he’ll be back next round.”

It was weird, how easy it was sometimes to forget there were no consequences to winning or losing.

That didn’t mean he was going to just take the loss easily, though, or waste Jounouchi’s heroism. So when Honda mused out loud that, “We’re probably going to be two against three, though. Maybe two against two if we’re lucky and Jounouchi’s taking someone out,” Yuugi nodded, frowning in thought as he moved his own gun back into his hands.

“We’ll have a better vantage point up here, but even if they didn’t hear us coming over here while Jounouchi-kun distracted them, Atem will probably guess where we went. We’ll have to…”

He trailed off, eyes widening behind his goggles as he listened and realized…

The shooting had stopped.

“ _Aaaa_ , nice shot, Atem!” Jounouchi was yelling, calling out across the room. “I’m out, guys!!”

“Me and Anzu too!” Otogi called before either Honda or Yuugi could react, prompting both boys to gape at each other.

 _Both of them_?!

“Good luck, Atem-kun! Good luck, you two!” Anzu was saying, but Yuugi was too busy listening to Honda’s hissing to notice.

“But if Anzu and Otogi are both out, then-”

“It’s just Atem…” Yuugi finished, leaning back against the loft wall and staring at the ceiling as he processed it.

They had a _lead_.

 _Thanks, Jounouchi-kun_.

“If we can take him out, _we win_ ,” Honda went on… only to frown at what he could see of the room from there on the floor. “If we can find him, that is.” There were a good two dozen obstacles around the room, after all, and unless they exposed themselves they wouldn’t be able to see it when Atem moved from cover to cover. Meanwhile, if the two of them sent off even a _single_ shot, he would know where they were… and they wouldn’t be able to run. And Atem would never be so foolish or impetuous as to follow up after them, so it would be long, dragging minutes of waiting for one of them to expose themselves long enough to shoot… and while they couldn’t be sure where Atem would appear, _he_ would know _exactly_ where to aim his gun.

“…Honda-kun?” Honda looked down into Yuugi’s face, and watched as a smile slowly rose to his face and shone through his goggles. “I’ve got an idea.”

* * *

Atem leaned back against an oil drum, heart still beating against the rush of his fight with Jounouchi, eyes shut as he strained to _listen_.

 _Where are you, aibou_?

Honda and Yuugi had failed to answer their defeated friends’ calls, and so he had been given no tell as to where his remaining two opponents were.

Except they had gone through that tunnel.

 _It has to be the loft_ , he decided, stated, though no one could hear him.

But he couldn’t hold back a grin because the _reason_ he was unheard was he was _playing_ against the only person who could have once heard him.

Yuugi was somewhere out there with Honda, talking. Calculating. Planning.

It made his hands itch to think about it.

 _What would he do_? Atem thought, ears ever pricked for some sign of an approaching opponent. _Honda is a sharp shot, and fast. His best chance would be to try and rush me. Or catch me unawares. And aibou knows that… Aibou knows that I would lose a direct confrontation. That I will avoid it. That I will try to expose them while staying hidden myself, so that they will be vulnerable and I won’t be. So he will try to keep Honda and himself hidden until they can strike. And he won’t split from him. He knows that he has the advantage, since I lose if I hit only one of them and then fall. They win if they both confront me at once._

Except, his ears suddenly picked something up.

Footsteps.

A _single_ set of footsteps.

He opened his eyes with frown, listening… yes, it was definitely just one person. The steps quick, and very light.

 _Aibou_.

He was alone… and running right by him.

Atem flicked his gaze in the same direction, barely able to see to his side through the fog of the goggles… but he did not move, too suspicious of the bait.

But his partner just moved right on without a single pause, and faded away to his right.

_Does he not know I am here? ….And where is Honda?_

He did not know… but he also could not stand it, as a new suspicion hit his bones.

_Are they trying to surround me?_

He at least knew which _side_ of the room one of them was on… so he crouched and darted forward, behind a set of tires right in front of him, that loosely connected to other covers around it.

He made it. Nothing shot at him as he exposed himself for that brief second, and he was free to crane his head back around a tire and eye the direction Yuugi had run.

It was the fence maze.

 _Did he think I hid in there?_ Atem mused, caught between distrust of the potential opening and understanding of his partner’s guess. He, Anzu, and Otogi had camped out in there for a good ten minutes before they played out their scheme to corner their friends, because to get to the center you had to go through three layers of fences within fences, the only breaks being small two-foot split openings that you could climb through… or shoot through.

It was a good spot… but did his partner _really_ think that _he_ would think to go back in there? Knowing they knew he had been there before?

 _No_ , Atem decided. It had to be a trap… but he wasn’t quite sure what to do about it.

He eyed the other end of the room, instead, searching for Honda… and decided to sneak his way to _that_ side, instead.

But as he rushed towards a divider, a shot ran right by his head, splattering the wall with blue.

He ducked back behind the tires, then laughed.

“You need to work on your aim, _aibou_!”

“Thanks for the tip!” Yuugi cried from somewhere back towards the fence maze. “You want to come back out and help me practice?!”

The corners of Atem’s mouth quirked, and he strapped his gun to his back. “Maybe later! Why don’t you just come a little closer, so you can try an easier shot?!”

Yuugi hummed loudly with would-be thought, and Atem rolled forward onto his stomach and began crawling towards a bunch of boxes over near the fence. If he angled himself _just_ right, and his guess about where Yuugi was proved lucky, the oil drum would obscure his movement…

“No, I think that might backfire on me! You’d just have a better shot, too! So, how about we just admit that we don’t want the timer to run out on us, and leave us with a tie, so we should just stop playing chicken with each other like this and have it out?! …Atem?”

Atem smirked, rising to his feet behind the pile of boxes.

Good, there were no exposed areas between him and the maze. Now if he could just work his way around the outside of the maze without Yuugi hearing him-

There was a _scrape_ right behind him.

Atem stalled, brow furrowing as a warning ran through his gut.

 _What_ -

He whipped around, and stared right into the barrel of a gun.

The smile on Yuugi’s face caught as they locked eyes.

Yuugi jerked his hand back - unwilling to shoot Atem right in the face, goggles or no goggles - and that was all the opening Atem needed to turn and bolt around a fence corner.

A curse and two wild shots rang out behind him.

Nothing hit him, though, and Atem slammed his back up against the fence as he readied his gun, smirking at the trails of blue that streaked the floor beside him.

“ _Aim_ , _aibou_!”

There was a huff behind him somewhere, followed by a “I didn’t think I’d have to _aim_ a foot away from your back!” and Atem realized that Yuugi wasn’t standing there anymore, just around the corner. He had turned tail and run back to hide behind the boxes Atem had just abandoned.

Smart.

“Fair point,” Atem allowed, readying his gun and scrutinizing the room before for any possible ambushes from Honda… while still grinning at an unseen partner. “Then how about _don’t hesitate_?”

“…Noted.”

Atem quirked a brow, for he had expected some comment about how Yuugi would have hurt him if he hadn’t _hesitated_. Instead he got _that_ , a long quiet pause… then shooting.

Blue paintballs zipped by his ear to splatter on the distant wall, one after another, and another, and another…

Atem twitched back from the corner’s edge and frowned at the sight, trying to understand what-

 _Oh_.

Yuugi was walking up the length of the wall between them, openly, slowly… shooting rapid fire the entire way.  

 _I can’t hit him_ , Atem realized, eyes widening with rising comprehension. _It’s too fast! I’d get hit for sure if I jump out and aim! And he’s coming right up to me, so_ -

Atem turned and made a mad dash for the fence opening, ducking inside the maze.

 _This has to be a trap. He’s trying to corner me in here somehow!_ Atem thought as he ran and searched for some corner to await his surely chasing partner… grinning the entire way.

There were no corners in the maze to hide in, but at a break in the shooting, signifying Yuugi’s discovery of his retreat, Atem settled himself behind a random wall, prepping himself to react at the drop of a pin as he heard Yuugi’s run inside behind him.

The footsteps stalled to a stop… and then nothing.

Silence.

Atem sucked in a long breath, then cut if off by biting his lip, finding even _that_ to be too loud. The urge to move or fidget or adjust his gun _ate_ at him, but he denied it… waiting…

The smallest pulse of a sound, and he put his faith in his luck.

He whipped around the corner and shot blind at chest level.

* * *

Yuugi jerked back, dropping his gun with a clatter.

Red splattered and ran down the left side of his old grey t-shirt.

“ _Awww_ ,” Yuugi sighed, reaching up to touch the spot, only to think better of it with the shake of a head as he looked up-

And froze.

He had expected to see his other self there, sure. But Atem… he was grinning at him, bright and glowing and staring right at him with the most satisfied look shining in his eyes, even _through_ the goggles… And that _look_ ran the full length of Atem’s body, showed in his smile and his posture and his hands, the one with the gun relaxing as the other rested against his hip.

Atem lifted his goggles and moved towards him, a lazy tilt in his hips that left Yuugi blinking, unsure what to do… and of himself.

“Nice try, _aibou_ ,” Atem said casually, grinning, undisturbed and ignorant of the weird buzz running through Yuugi’s mind. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to focus on-”

He didn’t get a chance to name him.

A shot rang out and Atem jerked forward, eye wide and unfocused.

Even Yuugi jumped at the noise, and he instinctively reached out and caught Atem by the shoulders as he stumbled to his knees.

“Wow, Yuugi! That actually worked!”

Both looked up and back to see Honda there, at the edge of another fence wall, grinning with his gun still in hand.

“Honda?” Atem asked, narrowing his eyes on him with a confused frown. “When did you get in here? I didn’t hear you walking-”

“It was me,” Yuugi interrupted, drawing those vibrant red eyes back to him as he pushed his goggles up into his hair and smiled. “When I was going on about the timer, and backfiring and stuff? I was saying all of that on purpose, to-”

“To cover up his footsteps…” Atem finished on a breath, his expression relaxing into open wonder. “You planned to draw me in here from the start.”

Yuugi shrugged, sliding his hands down Atem’s shoulders to catch his elbows, pulling the slightest bit to prompt him to stand. “We set up for it. I was also aiming to shoot you _before_ we got into the maze, but if you got all the way in here, Honda was waiting, so-”

Atem ignored Yuugi’s prompt to rise. No, he fell back onto his knees completely to focus on _laughing_ , right and proper and from the belly. “ _Of course_ , you set me up to- _How are you this good, aibou_?!”

Yuugi’s face went instantly red with the praise… but it was the _smile_ Atem shot him, and the adoring glow behind it, that made Yuugi’s hands still a breath from pulling him up. That made his pulse rise up into his throat and pound a slow, heavy beat against the base of his tongue.

It made it impossible to talk.

But Honda wasn’t saying _anything_ , and Atem seemed content to keep staring at him _forever_ , not a thought or a consideration behind his warm gaze.

And if Yuugi’s mind was slow to catch up, his instinct to _recover_ was a little faster, and he twitched with would-be words and gestures long before he finally managed a proper smile, and a word as he pulled on Atem’s arms, then _hands_ when even _that_ didn’t convince him to move. “W-well, it was Honda-kun who was fast enough to get across the room and in here while I talked, and who moved fast enough to hit you, before you noticed… right, Honda-kun?”

The name friend hummed noncommittally, and Atem zipped an unseeing smile back at him before focusing on Yuugi again, _finally_ acquiescing to rise… still holding onto Yuugi’s hands.

They felt strangely over-sensitive to the boy, under his touch.

“That _was_ amazing, and now the both of you and Jounouchi won! We should go back and tell them,” Atem decided, grinning at Yuugi and _squeezing_ his hands before finally letting go and leading the charge out of the maze… giving the two a nice view of the big blue spot in the middle of his back. “Come on!”

“R-right.” Yuugi rubbed his hands on his jeans - they were oddly sweaty - and turned a blind blink back on his remaining friend. “You coming, Honda-kun?”

“Course,” he answered easily… but as Yuugi turned, and trailed after Atem, Honda held back for a second.

Started after them both with a long, thoughtful frown.

* * *

“Ninety-One!”

“ _Damn_ , Atem! How are you managing these rolls?!” Jounouchi cried, gaping with the rest of them as the former pharaoh smirked down at the table before them.

The table that supported a large tabletop scene of a forest, sprinkled with tiny figures and a whole rainbow of ten-sided dice.

And it was the purple dice that had just rolled to a stop among the model trees, displaying a big ‘90’ and ‘01’ for all seven teens to see.

Bakura shook his head out of his own shock, and grinned at Atem. “That would be a full-powered Magic Bullet, then. And with that, you take out the last goblin! You saved your caravan!”

“Alright!!” Jounouchi hooted as everyone else cheered, and Otogi sighed his relief.

“Thanks, Atem-kun. I thought I had sung my last spell back there,” he joked, picking up his little bard figurine and making it ‘dance’ a little in his hand. “I was down to my last health point!”

“We wouldn’t have let that happen. And now Anzu can heal you up, right Anzu?” Atem asked, turning to the girl- who jumped to attention and grinned back at him.

“Of course! Is… that alright, Bakura-kun? Or do I have to wait for my turn?”

“No no, we’re out of combat now, so you can roll once for a heal spell before the next battle.”

“Okay, then… my dice were the yellow ones, right?”

“Seriously though, man,” Jounouchi cut in, drawing Atem’s attention away from the game and to the grinning blond. “If I had known a warlock would be that awesome, I would’ve asked Bakura to make me one, too!”

“You’re a fighter because that’s what your figurine was to begin with, remember?” Honda cut in, meeting Jounouchi’s impatient glower with lazy amusement.

“ _Still_ , I’m just saying he was great in that fight! It’s awesome enough that Bakura was willing to play this game with us again, but it’s even _cooler_ that Otogi and Atem get characters this time!”

“I am glad you got to play with us,” Yuugi agreed, quieter than his friend but equally sincere as he looked at the lookalike sitting beside him. “It’s a lot more fun having you here beside us, playing like this.”

Atem had been grinning gratefully the entire time they were talking, but his smile eased and took on a softer quality as he focused on Yuugi. “Thank you, _aibou_.”

Yuugi shrugged, not answering. He just smiled back.

And Honda watched from across the table… idly wondering how long it would take for one ‘Mutou’ to tear his eyes off of the other.

Otogi poked his arm, and he never found out.

“Hey, Honda. Anzu got a bad roll. Can I use one of your potions?”

“Huh? Oh, sure. Knock yourself out.” Honda shook the thoughts from his head and took out a pencil to mark the item off of his character sheet. “But that was our last one. If we really want to go into that dungeon, I think we should go back to that village and restock.”

“I’m for that!” Jounouchi agreed, shooting a sly look at the model town near his elbow. “I want to go back to that tavern, anyways. I still think that bar girl knew something about that treasure we’re looking for.”

Anzu snorted, rolling her eyes. “You just want to make Bakura-kun talk like a girl and flirt with him again, don’t you?”

“I was not _flirting_! I was just trying to coax some information out of that NPC!”

“Whatever it was, it was gross, and I don’t want to see it again,” Otogi countered, shooting Jounouchi a flat look. “If someone _does_ have to flirt with the NPC - and by that I mean Bakura-kun - at least don’t let it be _you_.”

“Yeah well, who would you _want_ to see try it?!”

Otogi shrugged, and slowly everyone began to look around the table, shooting checking, wondering looks at each player in turn… until, inevitably, all eyes landed on _Atem_.

And his languid, vaguely curious expression froze over, and he just… blinked at them… before finally turning a hesitant frown down on his character sheet.

“Is… there something I can roll for that?”

Two beats passed, and then Yuugi cracked first, gasping out a caught breath before falling into peals of laughter.

Everyone else quickly followed suit, but Atem focused his glower on his partner, a deep red running up his nose and ears as he demanded to know, “ _What?!_ ”

Yuugi laughed harder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **[twitter](https://twitter.com/Phoebeus14) :: [tumblr blog](http://bitterseaproduction.tumblr.com/) :: [music](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z) :: [ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/phoebeus)**


	8. Sunday, June 21st

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to give KatNocta a big thanks, who not only gave some great betaing, but really soothed my nerves about releasing this one with her comments. :) Thank you again!
> 
>  **Music:** [Song of Healing (Demo)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo-MxrqxZho)

“…Run. _Run, damn it! Don’t just stand there and ask_ **_why_ ** _and keep watching–_ oh crap, _don’t answer the phone!”_

“Is Sadako going to come right up to the screen?”

“Would you guys shush?”

“That looks so weird.”

“ _Why_ is he still watching the TV? If I were him, I would be running the hell out– _holy shit!”_

“Did she just come out of the _freaking TV?!”_

“Why the fuck isn’t he running?! _RUN, YOU IDIOT–”_

“Oh, he is _dead.”_

“Well _duh,_ he’s dead! What was he thinking, that– oh, _look at her nails!”_

“ _And_ he fell… and now he’s crawling. He’s dead. He is _so_ dead.”

“Will you guys _shut up?_ I am trying to watch– _Ah!!”_

_“What is with her eye?!”_

“Bakura, what the hell were you thinking with this movie?!”

“Oh?” the named boy finally broke his silence amongst the cluster of screaming teens to look down at Jounouchi with a taken aback stare. “Are you not enjoying it?”

The blond twisted about on his spot on the floor to gawk at Bakura, the movie scene changing behind him and highlighting his stressed yells against the sudden quiet. “ _No_ , I am not enjoying it! I told you I hate ghosts, _remember?!”_

“Huh,” Bakura… _remarked,_ popping some popcorn into his mouth as he turned back to the screen. “I guess I thought you’d warm to it.”

Jounouchi scoffed, stumbled over some comeback… and ultimately gave up verbal retribution in favor of reaching up and swiping the snack bowl. “Stop hogging it already, will you?!”

Unfortunately, Bakura wasn’t the one _holding_ it.

Anzu quickly reached down and yanked the bowl back, glaring hot fire at the would-be thief as she settled back on the couch. “You’ve had more than half of it, Jounouchi-kun. And will you _shush?!_ I haven’t heard a word said for the last minute!”

“The cop said Ryuuji is dead, and Reiko’s asking that student girlfriend of his about finding his body,” Honda filled in, apparently having caught the dialogue from his arm chair, well removed from the couch and its squabbling occupants. “She was going on about his dead face looking unnatural, and now Reiko’s freaking out. Nothing pertinent missed.”

“Still, she’s trying to figure out the curse, isn’t she?”  

Yuugi, sitting on the couch on Anzu’s other side, paused mid-popcorn sneaking to look down at the last speaker– the man sitting on the floor between his and her feet.

Atem didn’t look back, but waved indicatively at the image of the woman running around her own apartment, clearly distressed. “Something triggered the curse for Ryuuji, and not her, and she’s worried that her son will die too, so–” He was cut off by the television making that sharp, jarring noise that always accompanied something _scary_ in the film.

Yuugi looked up, instantly alert and curious, but he must have missed it because all he saw was the Reiko lady’s terrified face and– and his mind blanked out as Atem belatedly jerked.

Jerked, pressed his shoulder into Yuugi’s knee, and _clutched his ankle_.

No one else must have noticed, given their collective gasps and Jounouchi’s _“What the shit?!”_ but _Yuugi_ sure noticed… was left pointedly aware of the arm pressed against his calf, the tight grip squeezing the rough cotton of his sock into his skin, the touch warming him through the fabric.

Yuugi stared at the back of Atem’s head.

The seconds ticked by, the movie rolled on, his shock ebbed, and in its place came logic and dismissal. The grab was a thoughtless, distracted impulse on Atem’s part, the contact lingering only because the movie wasn’t over yet. The former pharaoh might be restrained about it, might curb his own outbursts instinctively, but he was _just_ as prone to fear as the rest of them, so… he just got scared. Simple.

But a question flowed through Yuugi’s mind, heavy and abstract and wordless and itchy as his own nerves. Because… even as he dismissed his shock, and Atem’s touch, he couldn’t… he couldn’t pull his attention _away_ from the contact.

He should be watching the movie. Instead, Yuugi kept staring at the back of Atem’s head and feeling that hand at his ankle, caught in the same mental white space he… he found himself falling into more and more often. The space he had once called _shock_ but was clearly shifting to _distraction_ because, even if they did not touch often, it had happened enough across the last week that it shouldn’t be a _surprise_ anymore. Atem just… touched him sometimes. _Could_ touch him. And _he_ touched _him…_ when it was called for. Their arms or shoulders would brush when they sat together, or their fingers would catch as they passed things between them, and sometimes Atem would just reach out to him, and _yeah_ it always startled Yuugi, but… but instead of growing used to it, it felt like… it was getting worse.

 _And that_ earlier? At the paintball game? That had been different. Or, not _different_ just… warm. A warm smile and warm red eyes and warm, sharp elbows under his hands and warm hands in _his_ hands and–

Yuugi shut his eyes, huffing out a silent breath as he strove to _shake off_ the thought without any visible movement.

Seriously, _why_ was he thinking like this? About it at all? Yeah, it was still _weird,_ but Atem had been flesh and bone for a while now. It wasn’t a novelty anymore. He just needed to get _used to it already._ Stop _thinking_ about it so much! There was no reason to feel so… _weird_ about it.

…But logic couldn’t change how that touch scratched at his nerves. How it distracted him. How Yuugi jumped – just a _little_ – when Atem’s grip twitched.

And _yeah_ , he might have yelped.

Just a bit.

Atem instantly looked back, whatever movie-prompted fear might have been in his eyes replaced by true concern. “Something wrong, _aibou?”_

Yuugi smiled, forcing himself to relax under everyone’s sudden gaze. “No, this movie is just really creepy.”

“You’re telling _me,”_ Jounouchi huffed, words muffled around a mouthful of popcorn. He’d apparently managed to claim the bowl at… some point. “The guy’s dead, and now if Reiko wants to save her kid, she’s got to curse her _dad?”_

 _…Is that how it works?_ Yuugi wondered, finally looking back to the television.

The credits were already rolling, though, and someone turned on a table lamp. Light flooded Bakura’s living room and Yuugi blinked through the glare to discover a mess of wrinkled sleeping bags, opened snacks, and abandoned games still strewn across the floor, just as they had left it.

Bakura stepped over an empty chips bag to reach the television, ejecting the tape and shutting off the screen before asking, “Yuugi-kun and Jounouchi-kun gave their verdicts, but what do the rest of you think?”

“Not bad,” Otogi piped in first, stretching his legs with a strained sigh before leaning back in his own armchair, hands folded behind his head. “Just your basic spook flick in the end, but the cursed tape thing was pretty unique– and that ending was quite a twist.”

“I think so, too,” Bakura smiled, only to turn back to Jounouchi. “And to answer your question, I don’t think Reiko would just let her father die. She would have told him to copy the tape, too, and pass it on to someone else… which you could call amoral as well, but it you read the sequel, you know it doesn’t really matter what she intended him to do.”

“Wait,” Jounouchi froze, gawking at the teen with tension running visibly up his back. “There’s a _sequel?_ You– you’re not going to make us watch _that_ too, are you?!”

“And what do you mean by _read?”_ Honda added, cutting in and earning a sudden, tickled smile from their host.

“Oh! I mean the book. This movie is actually based on a book series, and _Ringu_ was the first story in it.” Bakura laughed a little as he fished around for the VHS box, putting up the tape as he admitted, “Honestly, I’m happy all of you agreed to watch this, but I really think the book is better– though it might not be fair to compare them, really. They’re just so different.”

“How so?” Atem asked, readjusting on the floor so that his head was resting against the seat cushion, just by Yuugi’s knee.

He still hadn’t let go of him.

But even if _Yuugi_ noticed, Bakura didn’t seem to, even as he smiled right at the lounging king. “Well, for starters, it’s less _scary_ and more like a mystery, even though they make a bigger deal of Sadako’s death and her powers. And, let’s see, Reiko’s last name is still Asakawa but he is actually a boy and–”

“Wait, wait– what?” Anzu cut in, and even Yuugi looked up and stared Bakura with shock at _that_ claim.

“Then… was _Ryuuji_ still a guy?” he tried, but the pale-haired shook his head with an uncertain eye.

“Yes, why would you think otherwise?”

“Uh, because Ryuuji and Asakawa Reiko, or whatever _he’s_ called in the book? They’re Yoichi’s _parents_ and all into each other?” Honda clarified, earning a couple considering blinks, and then a laugh from Bakura.

“Oh, that! No, no… Asakawa was the only parent in the books, and he– he’s called Kazuyuki, by the way. He and Ryuuji were old friends, nothing more. The romance stuff was just added for the movie.”

“Pffft, typical,” Jounouchi scoffed, relaxing back against the couch’s side with crossed arms, his face not visible from Yuugi’s angle, but a glower clear enough in his voice alone. “What’s the point of making the main guy a girl for the sake of _romance_ if they don’t even bang in the flick– hey!” He jerked back and glared over his shoulder at Anzu for swatting him in the ribs with her heel.

She frowned right back, clearly ready to say something– but Otogi got there first, mumbling aloud that, “Well, they must have banged at _some_ point, since they had Yoichi. But if you ask me, they _definitely_ hooked up after that kiss on that boat.”

“Off screen doesn’t count!” Jounouchi snapped, not looking back again as Anzu slumped in her seat with a frustrated sigh.

“Why do I like you guys again…?”

“Though, back to the book,” Otogi went on, ignoring Anzu’s jab in favor of musing aloud… and making all of them jump and look at him as he said, “If the movie director wanted to be _really_ edgy, he should have kept Asakawa a guy, and added a romance with Takayama Ryuuji _anyways.”_

Jounouchi choked audibly on air, Yuugi felt Anzu jerk into a tense standstill, and he himself couldn’t do anything but _stare_ at his friend with a blank mind and struggling comprehension.

If Honda or Atem had some reaction of their own, they did not voice it, and Yuugi did not notice. But he was certain they were _all_ staring at Otogi when he shot them a laughing, unperturbed smirk, as if to ask, _Well, what are you looking at me for?_

For his part, Bakura just considered Otogi for a few, silent moments, then shook his head before moving to retake his seat on the couch. “That probably wouldn’t have been a good idea. Asakawa in the book was married with a baby girl, Yoko– the novel’s version of Yoichi. If he had gotten involved with Ryuuji, it would have been considered an affair. And it would have been too cruel to kill off or ignore his wife, Shizu… Besides, the book version of Ryuuji isn’t really a nice person.”

Otogi nodded, sobering under the sincere reply… only to frown belatedly at Bakura. “Could you call him Takayama? Using _my_ name for him and all… I know that’s what it is, but it’s just weird.”

Honda gave a sudden, loud chuckle from across the room. “That’s right, _Ryuuji_ was killed by Sadako, wasn’t he?”

Otogi shot him a dirty look, but didn’t deign to reply… and he, and everyone else, quickly shifted their focus when _Atem_ of all people spoke up with a humming, thoughtful, “Still, even if it would have been unpleasant, it would have been _interesting_ if the movie kept Asakawa married to someone else, and showed him - or her - involved with Takayama anyways. Their affair would have been an ironic mirror to Sadako’s own parents.”

Someone hiccuped in shock.

Anzu… probably.

Yuugi didn’t look up to check. He was too busy pinning an astounded look on the back of Atem’s head. Because, _yeah,_ he didn’t sound _approving_ of his own point, but still? The very suggestion seemed so… un-Atem-like.

So it was honestly much more understandable when he followed up the thought with a, “But I don’t really get why you’d want a romance between them in the first place.”

 _“Yeah,_ Otogi,” Jounouchi agreed, seeming to ease into the shift of focus as he leaned back against the couch between Anzu and Bakura’s legs. He grabbed a soda from somewhere down near their feet Yuugi couldn’t see, popping it open as he shook his head. “You really think the movie people could get away with something like that in a mainstream flick? Two _guys_ involved?”

Atem _finally_ let go of Yuugi, and the boy shut his eyes with a silent, shuddery sigh as his chest finally relaxed… a weird, listless feeling filling up the space.

He pushed it out of his mind, and when he opened his eyes again, he found Atem had turned to sit sideways, where he could face Jounouchi and shake his own head while looking directly at him. “No, I mean in the movie _or_ the books, man or woman. Either way, I don’t see what the romance adds to the story.”

Jounouchi snorted in apparent, amused agreement, but… even as the blond said, “Here’s to that,” with a raised soda, Yuugi could hear the uncertainty creeping into his voice. Because he must have noticed the same thing Yuugi did.

Even in profile, Yuugi could see it… Atem’s expression wasn’t dismissive, or irritated, or disagreeable.

He looked… confused.

Honestly confused.

It was a subtle thing, but it shone clear enough in his eyes that _everyone_ must have seen it, and a lost sort of quiet fell over the living room… until Anzu dared to broach it.

“Well, um,” she tried, and when Yuugi turned her way he saw that she was staring at Atem with an oddly _anxious_ sort of look– a look Atem returned with a neutral sort of attentiveness, Yuugi saw, when he flicked his gaze back to the confused king. “Asakawa in the movie, Reiko? She really cared about Ryu– I mean, _Takayama,_ so that made it a lot sadder in the end when he died. And more meaningful when he apparently helped her from beyond the grave.”

Rather than look resolved by the fine explanation, Atem just shook his head again. “I understand that, Anzu. What I meant was, why does it mean _more_ for them to be lovers, when they could have been friends, like in the book as Bakura described? I know I would be just as upset, if not _more so_ than Reiko was there, if something like that happened to any of you.” He instantly turned his gaze about with the group, the serious but appreciative glint in his eye cutting through the baffled hesitance in the air and making all of them slowly grin.

And when Atem craned his neck around to look up at _him,_ Yuugi felt the confused tension in his own mind seep away under the warmth in that red gaze.

There just wasn’t room for anything else but an answering smile.

 _“Dude,”_ Jounouchi hissed, prompting Yuugi and Atem alike to turn his way and blink in the face of his grimace. “Don’t even joke about that! Something like _that_ happening to one of us… I’m going to have a hard enough time sleeping tonight as it is… especially with that TV _right there!”_

A laugh came surprisingly easily to Yuugi, and he let it loose as he grinned at his best friend. “Then it’s a good thing we’re all sleeping here together, right? We can keep an eye on each other and keep the ghosts away.”

Jounouchi huffed at the mandatory humor in Yuugi’s words, but his glance was genuinely grateful all the same.

At his feet, Atem chuckled, too, shaking his head… but even as he laughed, his complaint flowing more easily and casually than before, he _still_ said, “The point remains, I still don’t get it. How is it ‘less sad’ or ‘less meaningful’ if the characters are ‘just’ friends? That seems demeaning somehow.”

Yuugi’s own smile curled with fondness, and… something heavier, that he himself didn’t understand, or feel any urge to scrutinize. But before he could press the sensation fully aside and reassure his other self, someone else spoke up first.

“It’s not about friendship meaning less, man.”

All heads in the room turned with soft surprise to look at the speaker, but Honda’s expression didn’t shift with the sudden attention. He kept his surprisingly serious gaze set soundly on Atem, and said, “Being in love with someone is just _special,_ so the loss of that person would just… It’s different. And it would feel like a much bigger deal to a lot of people.”

…If it had been quiet before, when Atem surprised them all, it was now dead silent.  

And Yuugi… he was still looking at his friend, just like the others, but his mind had blanked out. Short-circuited on the sudden, unexpected input. He just… he didn’t know how to take it.

And when the word ‘loss’ echoed through his ear… he just didn’t want to think on it at _all._

His eyes flicked back to his other self amid the impulse evasion, and he drank in Atem’s profile… the strange emptiness of his expression.

He didn’t know what to think of Honda’s comments, either.

Yuugi was sure of that, so there was no surprise or confusion to upset the strained stillness of his mind when Atem breathed a flat, _“Oh.”_

A hand slapped down on Atem’s shoulder, and Yuugi jerked nearly as violently as _he_ did with the shock of it.

“Eh, who cares?!” Jounouchi dismissed, giving Atem a reassuring grin before his face twisted with recollecting distaste. “The important thing is, guy or gal, romance or not, that movie was _horrifying,_ and no friendship or love story was going to salvage _that!_ I swear, I know we said you could pick after that awesome Monster World campaign, but why did you have to steal my sleep and peace of mind?”

The last he aimed at their ever patient, ever terrorizing host, and in answer Bakura just laughed.

“Haha, sorry, Jounouchi-kun. Would picking the movie to watch while I finish dinner help?”

Jounouchi sniffed in reply, letting go of Atem to wave dismissively at Bakura, and once again the spell holding the group frozen broke. Atem leaned away from Jounouchi’s sharp touch and glowered at his ignorant back, Anzu gave a weird little sigh at Yuugi’s side, and everyone shifted their attention from speaker to speaker, once again free to move.

And Yuugi made himself join them, shaking off his own odd, scattered feelings like a layer of dust as he listened to Jounouchi say, “What about a game, instead? I’d rather not look at a TV screen or a _tape_ right now, you know?” He gave a shudder, shooting a wary side glance at the benign, shut off television set.

“We told you,” Anzu cut in before Bakura could answer, pinning a clear warning look on the blond at her feet. “We don’t want to watch you guys duel all night. This sleepover is for _all_ of us to do things together, and Honda-kun, Otogi-kun, and I don’t duel.”

“Oh, _come on,_ Anzu!” Jounouchi snapped, scooting around on his butt to glower right back up at her. “I want to duel Atem! I haven’t had a chance since Battle City ended!”

Beside him, Atem jerked to attention, his own ire washed away by instant intrigue.

Yuugi, too, sat up straight in his seat at the suggestion.

But Anzu was having none of it. “You could have done that anytime this week before the sleepover.”

“Well, I didn’t know you’d put a stupid _ban on it this weekend!_ And I bet it would be fun to watch!”

“Not when we all know what the result is going to be from the start,” Otogi taunted, raising an arm to protect his face from a sofa pillow-turned-projectile.

“Oh, what do you know?! And come on, I know _I’d_ enjoy seeing a duel, even if I’m not in it! And… oh! What if Atem and _Yuugi_ dueled? I would totally watch that!”

If Yuugi hadn’t already been sitting down, he would have tripped.

As it was, he nearly fell off of the sofa arm from whipping around so fast towards his friend, making Anzu jerk back with a yelp to find him suddenly kneeling on the cushions facing her, but looking right over her lap at _Jounouchi,_ who just kept grinning up at him expectantly.

…Slowly, Yuugi turned to look at his other self.

Atem hadn’t moved at all, much less in surprise. No… he looked frozen stiff in shock.

But he must have felt Yuugi looking at him, because he instantly turned his head and stared back at him, the pair caught in their gaze and the mutual, surprising thought.

Duel _each other…_

It was kind of ridiculous that it hadn’t occurred to Yuugi sooner, to be honest.

But rather than regret that fact or consider the multiple reasons why that was so, Yuugi just… smiled questioningly.

And Atem switched from flat surprise to shining elation so fast that he should have rightly _hurt himself_ with the suddenness of that smile.

And it made it oh-so-hard for Yuugi to shake his head. “I’d like that, too… but Anzu-chan is right. If we play another game, we should pick something we can all enjoy.”

To his relief, Atem didn’t mirror Jounouchi’s overt, loud disappointment. His smile faded, yes, but the delight and approval still lingered in his expression, showing he understood Yuugi’s reasoning… and still appreciated his general willingness at the idea.

Which could have spilt Yuugi into a fit of giggles, because of _course_ he would be happy to duel him! He’d been too caught up in still thinking of them as a unit to consider it before, sure, but now that Jounouchi had _voiced it…_

Man, he hoped school didn’t give him too much homework tomorrow. He wanted to keep his evening free, now.

For the time being, though, he turned to Bakura and his input without a single reservation.

“I have a copy of Clue you guys could play, if you want. It can only take six people, but I’ll be busy in the kitchen anyways, so you guys can all play without a problem.”

“But Bakura-kun,” Anzu protested, turning to the boy with open, friendly disapproval. “You shouldn’t have to make dinner all on your–”

“Oh! Oh!” Jounouchi suddenly yelled, jumping to his feet as he spoke over Anzu. “I call the red piece!”

“The red one’s the Scarlett woman, Jounouchi,” Otogi reminded him, smiling as Jounouchi’s smile slid into uncertainty.

“Oh… which color isn’t a girl?”

Half the room chuckled – Yuugi included – while Anzu just sighed. “Do you hear yourself when you talk?”

“Shut up!”

––––  

Atem leaned into the sink as he scooped the running water into his hands and splashed his face.

He breathed out into the cool liquid, letting it run down his nose and chin and plaster his bangs to his cheeks… until the discomfort of leaning over overwhelmed the relief of the water. When he stood back up, the shift made him flinch and wonder if it had all even been worth the effort.

He sighed and reached blindly for a hand towel, less to dry himself and more to press the fabric against the pain in his brow.

His head was pulsing.

The ache had started some point in the middle of that movie, and had only grown worse from there, shifting from a mild, dismissible pang as the closing credits rolled to a throbbing torment that he could barely conceal as he and his friends played and ate dinner. He was sure he wouldn’t be able to hide it much longer, and he suspected his partner had already noticed, given the frown Yuugi had shot him when Atem abandoned the table just as dessert was being served, claiming to need to use the bathroom.

Perhaps he was getting sick?

 _It doesn’t feel like any of aibou’s colds or flus,_ he mused, sighing as he re-hung the towel and shut off the faucet. It could just be that his new – or rather _old_ – body didn’t process things the same way Yuugi’s did, but something told Atem that wasn’t it. Something… something in him knew the truth well enough to deny the wrong solution, even as the right one alluded him. Whatever the cause was behind his pain, it had been prompted by that movie, not a virus.

And even if this was by far the worst he had ever felt, he had had other, milder headaches across the week.

They had been passing, though, and simple enough to ignore, while this one had settled somewhere behind his eyes, and Atem pinched the bridge of his nose for a long, centering moment, before finally steeling himself and turning for the door.

Maybe he could pull Bakura aside and quietly ask for some painkillers or something.

As he slipped out into the bathroom, though, his wary considerations on how to keep his friends and partner from seeing and worrying about his state ran smack dab into the realization that the hallway wasn’t empty.

“Hey,” Honda greeted simply, remaining as he was, leaning against the wall opposite the door with his arms crossed and a calm gaze set on the bathroom– and him.

What was he…

Atem blinked through his surprise and asked, “Did you need to use the toilet?”

“Yeah. Bakura offered to let me into the bathroom in his bedroom, but it felt weird to intrude.”

“Hmm… right. Sorry for making you wait, then. It’s all yours.” Atem stepped to the side in a clear offering gesture of the vacant room behind him, then turned to go.

“Right… hey, Atem?”

He stalled, and turned to find Honda still there, leaning against the wall… and frowning down at the carpet.

Atem arched a brow in silent question, but did not speak… and after a breath Honda looked up and ask, “I didn’t weird you out back there, did I? You know, after the movie? By getting all serious in answering you and all?”

He stared at Honda in silent, honest uncertainty, unsure what he meant… until a quick mental review of Honda’s comments after the movie brought him to only one answer, and he tensed with a whole _different_ form of uncertainty.

Right. _That._

“No, of course not,” he assured, offering his oddly serious-faced friend a smile that… was probably pretty transparent and strained. “What you said made sense, I’m sure. I just didn’t get it.”

Honda’s expression twisted with a sort of half-there bewilderment. “Didn’t get what? How being in love and romance and stuff might mean more to somebody than friendship?”

“No, I know people might feel that way,” Atem sighed in dismissive answer, his eyes already wandering down the hall, the direction he intended to walk as soon as the conversation ended.

“Well, _yeah,_ and it’s cool if you don’t feel that way, you know. Flattering, really, speaking as one of your friends,” Honda finished on a grumble, prompting Atem to turn back to him, and his mouth to twitch with fond humor for the embarrassment plain on the guy’s face. “But, when you were talking back in the living room? And the way you looked at me after _I_ talked? It was almost like you didn’t _get_ the difference. Like you didn’t get the difference between friendship and romantic love enough to even know _why_ someone would ever pick romance, you know?”

…Atem felt his smile falling, despite himself.

He stared too long, let the silence hang too long, and Honda noticed.

His expression faltered, too, and they were left just… standing there, watching each other… until Atem turned back to the hall and spoke, far, far too late.

“I know what romance is, Honda.”

“Well, _yeah,_ I know you’re not stupid, Atem,” Honda sniffed, and Atem watched from his peripheral as the guy stuffed his hands into his pockets and fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable. “But that’s not the same as _getting_ it, is it?”

“Well, that would follow, wouldn’t it?” Atem drawled, striving with all his might to keep his tone from getting defensive, and his headache from shortening his temper. “I imagine you’d have to go through it to really _get it,_ right? Or at least like someone in that way.”

Honda gave a… very noncommittal hum of a sound, and when Atem flicked his gaze back to him properly, he saw Honda was just… _looking at him,_ and the opaque scrutiny of that look chipped at his patience.

Just what was Honda getting at, anyways? This definitely didn’t seem like some casual curiosity.

But whatever his intentions or his thinking, Honda said nothing for so long that Atem finally felt compelled to go on himself, shrugging and crossing his arms as he acknowledged, “You would probably know better than I would, wouldn’t you? I know you’ve at least liked some girls before. So, if you think it’s that easy to ‘get it’ then _you_ should be the one stating what ‘romantic love’ is, and why someone would pick it.”

“Well, _yeah,_ I guess you have a point.” Honda rolled his shoulders, readjusting his lean on the wall as he grimaced at the far end of the hall. “If I’m going to ask you, then I should at least put my money where my mouth is. I just wanted to know if _you_ knew, but if _I_ had to say, I guess… what makes romance different would be… erm… just… how do you…” He choked on a lost word, cheeks flaming hotter than the hot pot Bakura served them for dinner.

And all Atem could do was look on, his own irritation slowly unfurling into bemused interest.

He knew he should probably just tell Honda it didn’t matter. That it was unnecessary to hunt so hard for an answer. That Atem had pressed for one just because Honda had been badgering _him,_ and he didn’t actually _care_ about the answer.

Instead, he just stood there, waiting… Honda’s struggle spurring a sort of secondary intrigue in the living pharaoh.

If he were honest, he was a little curious what the man would say.

Because he _did_ know what romance was, and what it looked like. He had his borrowed memories, after all, and a fair year or two of opportunities to witness at least _crushes_ via his partner and friends… not to mention an entire backlog of fiction he could draw on, like the movie that had prompted this weird chat in the first place, for example.

But, as with that movie, Atem could only observe secondhand, and even the rare chance to experience the physical and mental sensations via his partner provided only a pattern of behavior. He didn’t… he didn’t know what the _inside_ of those feelings was supposed to feel like.

And something told him it probably wasn’t something that _could_ be conveyed, but still he found himself standing there as Honda finally found his voice, spitting out a long delayed answer as he gestured at the carpet between them. “It’s something about… okay, when you see a _friend_ who’s happy, it’s… it’s _nice!_ It’s really, really nice, and good, but… when you see someone you _love_ is happy?” he choked out, almost _pained_ before Atem’s riveted gaze as he dove on. “And they’re happy, either because of you, or at least _with_ you, or _around_ you, or you had some part in that happiness, it’s…” he trailed off, a surprisingly blissful, even _dopey_ grin splashing over Honda’s face for something only he could see.

It was laughable, really. Should have been hilarious.

Atem wasn’t laughing.

He was waiting… suddenly and intensely worried that Honda didn’t actually have words to finish his point.

But no, his friend finally shook his head, his expression sobering again as he looked _right at Atem._ “When it’s that? You want to be _part of that._ To be part of that happiness. Because you want them to be happy with or without you, _yeah,_ but… you want to be _part of that, too.”_

Atem… stared, caught with no reply, nothing to express, because he rightly and properly didn’t know what to say.

And so, when Honda’s expression finally softened and he asked, “Do you get that?” All Atem could do was shake his head.

“No, not really… but I can tell there’s… a difference. Something special,” he answered lamely, digging for a proper word and only coming up with the same one _Honda_ used earlier that evening.

And Honda accepted it, at least in part, because he _did_ nod… but he also narrowed his eyes, and asked, “So, you’ve never wanted to be part of someone’s happiness?”

And Atem narrowed his right back. “I like being happy with all of _you–_ my _friends.”_

But instead of looking thrown by the point, or like he doubted his own definition in the face of it, Honda just looked… oddly disappointed.

He only jolted out of his silent, strange judgment when Atem gave an emphatic, “I mean it!”

“No, no, that’s cool! It’s just… that’s not quite what _I_ meant.”

Atem’s mouth pulled tight as he considered his friend, his determined frown and uncertain eyes… before finally edging into a calm, but very pointed, clipped reply. “Honda… I get the feeling you’re _trying_ to get me to say something. Or realize something. And honestly, I don’t know what it is.”

The other man remained silent for a long moment, clearly absorbing Atem’s claim… then, without a single twitch of his expression, nodded. “Yeah, I kind of am.”

Atem’s features twitched with incredulous shock, but he did not let the feeling settle over his features. He kept his poker face, his confusion only showing in the pull of his eyebrows.

But rather than meet the silent intensity, Honda actually relaxed, shaking his head as he sighed and slumped back into the wall. “But it won’t mean anything if I have to _tell_ you what it is, man. And if I have to, then it’s probably not true to begin with, and I don’t want to go putting ideas in your head. That’s… not what I’m going for here.”

And the stain of lost determination, of running into a dead end that marked Honda’s voice? _That_ finally cut through Atem’s resistance. He loosened and dropped his arms, and allowed his bewilderment to show openly before his friend.

And when Honda did nothing but smile awkwardly in the face of it, Atem just said, “You’re not making any sense.”

The brunette actually laughed, turning his smile up on the ceiling. “Yeah… You know, you and I have never really _talked_ before, and this was a really odd place to start.”

Atem nodded… though in his head, he reflected that _he_ had never really felt that way with him– that they had never talked. But _he_ had had the benefit of watching Honda talk to Yuugi one-on-one countless times, while Honda’s exposure to _him_ was… more limited.

There was no way Atem was going to disagree, however, that this was _bizarre._

Still, even as they both admitted that, Honda didn’t excuse himself, or go to the bathroom.

And… oddest of all, perhaps, Atem didn’t take advantage of the silence _to leave._

He just… couldn’t. There was clearly _something_ Honda wanted to say to him, about love for friends and _not_ for friends, that he felt really strongly Atem should realize for himself, but… Atem just didn’t _get it!_

But he couldn’t walk away from the failure of leaving it unknown, either.

And so, after a few breaths of silently clenching his fists and watching Honda smile at the ceiling, _he_ spoke first.

“Want to… be part of someone’s happiness?” he repeated, prompting Honda to blink his focus back to him, _focus_ on him, and finally nod.

“Yeah… You know, be the source of someone’s happiness? Want to make them smile everyday, and be there when they smile, and just _be there_ for them, with them, and… you know, kissing and stuff, obviously.” Honda’s odd calm cracked with the last, an embarrassed grimace striking his face before he… actually sobered. He broke their gaze, looked down the hall as he scratched the back of his neck, but there was still calm sincerity to his voice as he admitted, “It’s a pretty amazing feeling, having even the _hope_ of giving someone all of that, and getting it back in return. And… well, I can only imagine what it’s _like_ , actually getting it. I can’t speak for that.”

And the guy was actually blushing.

And despite himself, Atem had to smile, relaxing under the sudden reminder of Yuugi, turning red and bright and ruffled when he teased him about _his_ feelings… and when Honda asked a defensive, “Is that weird?”

Atem shook his head. “No, that doesn’t sound weird.”

“Well, good,” Honda grinned, only to grow serious again as he asked, “Then, do you get what I’m getting at?”

“No,” Atem said, still smiling as he leaned back on a heel and stuck his hands in his jean pockets. “Clearly, you want me to understand love – romantic love – and what it’s like to feel it, but I still don’t know _why.”_ His smiled ebbed, just a bit, as he pinned his gaze more sharply on his friend. “It’s hard to believe this is all because we watched and talked about that movie.”

Sometimes, it was easy to forget that _Honda_ had quite the poker face of his own. But he certainly used it then, as he looked back at Atem… his simple reply of, “I just don’t want you to regret anything,” offered without the slightest bit of inflection.

And if this had all been a game, Atem would have definitely lost.

Because his shock definitely must have shown on his face.

But Honda didn’t even acknowledge it. He just peeled himself off of the wall, announced, “I’m gonna take a leak,” and finally moved for the bathroom.

And Atem was too thrown to do anything but watch… and stare at the door after it closed.

…What was _that about?_

Atem shook his head, as if to shake the entire baffling mess from his mind, but it remained stubbornly hooked in his focus as he turned to go… and stumbled to a stop just a few steps away, glowering hard at the carpet before his feet.

 _What_ was that _about?_

In the end, Honda hadn’t really… he really hadn’t made any sense at all. _Sure,_ he knew Honda wanted him to get… something… but why had he been content to walk away when Atem still didn’t understand? _He_ wasn’t satisfied at all!

And really, when he thought back to what was said, Atem found he was right. He really… still didn’t ‘get’ romance as Honda clearly wished him to. All of his examples had just… they just all sounded so similar to _friendship_ in Atem’s mind. To things he had known in the bonds he already cherished.

…Except for the kissing ‘and stuff’ of course.

He huffed, pressing his fingers to the space between his eyebrows.

His head was killing him.

“You alright?”

His head jerked up, his shoulders and body already relaxing before his mind even processed and recognized the voice, or saw the boy standing at the end of the hall.

Yuugi.

As soon as they met eyes and a smile struck Atem’s face, Yuugi moved, closing the distance between them… his brow creasing tight as he stalled just a foot away.

Atem shook his head, finally allowing at least a _fraction_ of weariness to touch his voice amid his reassurance. “Yeah… I’m fine. The movie just messed with my head a little.”

The movie and Honda.

Yuugi’s eyebrows shot up with a twitch of surprise for that explanation– only to smooth out again as his eyes grew sharp again. Sharp, and knowing. “Then… it’s not your _own_ head messing with you?”

Atem tensed back into a quiet shock, question plastered across his face.

What…?

Finally, his partner relaxed into himself a bit, humor tugging at his mouth as he reached into his pocket… and held out what he found there, never taking his grin off of Atem. “I got some painkillers from Bakura-kun.”

Atem blinked at the bottle pushed under his nose… and slowly eased back into a smile.

Of course.

“You noticed, then?”

Yuugi nodded, a stagnant trouble disturbing his own quiet cheer. “And I know you must have been in a lot of pain, since I did.”

Atem sighed through a closed mouth, and reached for the bottle– looked at _it,_ and not his partner, as he said, “I didn’t want to worry you,” acknowledging the truth in the bargain.

But Yuugi didn’t let him move back. His just freed hand zipped out and caught his retreating hand.

Atem’s breath caught in his throat at the unexpected contact of cool, quickly warming skin, and looked up– into a crisp plum gaze that pierced his own.

“It worries me more when you try to hide stuff like this.”

…It would have been easy to tense, pull away, and get defensive if Yuugi was actually _angry,_ or lecturing him. But his calm, distressed sincerity cut through any such protection, leaving Atem powerless to do _anything_ but drop his eyes, and accept Yuugi’s words for what they simply were… the truth.

But before it could sit too heavily on his chest, Yuugi released him, only to lean into the space cleared by their dropped hands.

…Atem couldn’t avoid Yuugi’s gaze when he leaned into his field of vision like that.

Wouldn’t have, really, even if he had been capable.

And when he obligingly met his eye again? Yuugi smiled. “But, _as for_ the movie– is it anything you want to talk about?”

…Atem’s lips slowly stretched in a smile again as he breathed easy.

Yuugi was letting it go.

Such a little thing, and yet that tiny drop of gratitude trickled into an ocean already overflowing, and Atem let it wash over him as he smiled down into that face… watched Yuugi’s own expression soften in return… then reached up and tapped the bottom of the pill bottle against Yuugi’s brow.

The boy jerked back like he had been shot, and rubbed the spot as his nose and mouth wrinkled up, cheeks turning red with clear embarrassment.

And all Atem could do was bubble up with a laugh and call it adorable– in his own head, at least.

“Not right now, no. But maybe later,” he allowed, smiling through the glower Yuugi shot him.

His partner huffed incredulously, but finally offered an allowing “Okay…” shooting him only a quick, disgruntled look before turning back the way he had come. “Come on, you should get a drink to take that medicine. And I hid a piece of cake for you, so Jounouchi-kun wouldn’t eat it.”

Atem nodded and started to follow, only to come up short two steps later as he realized… “You’re not going to the bathroom?”

“Huh?” Yuugi spun on a heel to shoot him a slack-faced look… only to relax into an easy shrug. “Oh, no. I just came for you.” And with that, he turned to go.

Atem didn’t follow at first, mind caught in a quiet, abstract marvel… before a smile finally teased its way onto his face.

He followed his partner without another word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since a comment by my beta led to a conversation about LGBT rights in Japan, and we had an indirect nod to that in this chapter, I thought I would link a great video I found a while back on Youtube! It's an [interview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p0tYGNw-s0a) video done at a pride event in Japan, and really helped clarify some things about the cultural views over there. Very handy when I'm trying to portray that realistically in my own, inexperienced way. Give it a look if you're interested!
> 
>  
> 
> **[twitter](https://twitter.com/Phoebeus14) :: [tumblr blog](http://bitterseaproduction.tumblr.com/) :: [music](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z) :: [ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/phoebeus)**


	9. Revelation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A good thing to read before this chapter: [These Days We Celebrate](http://archiveofourown.org/series/668048)
> 
>  **Music:** [Nostalgia](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_wYc-hjusU) by Lucas King

“Can’t sleep?”

The quiet thud of dice hitting cement stalled as Atem looked up and saw Yuugi standing in the shadow of the open balcony door.

He smiled on sight, watched his partner slip outside and shut the glass door behind him, then whispered back, “How did you know I was out here? You can’t see me from the living room.” And it was well past midnight, so his partner _should_ be sleeping, just like everyone else.

Just like him.

But Yuugi looked surprisingly alert as he settled on the ground beside him, crossing his legs and leaning back against the painted brick wall in a perfect mirror of the other’s own position, so close that their knees brushed through the light fabric of their pajama pants– Yuugi’s light blue against Atem’s borrowed print of yellow stars. Atem gave the contact only a passing glance before he felt Yuugi’s knowing eye burning on the side of his face.

As soon as he looked back up, his partner explained, “I went to the bathroom and saw your sleeping bag was empty, and I thought– if you were sitting up anywhere, it would be where you could see the stars.”

Atem sniffed at his own apparent predictability, relaxing his head back against the bricks to peer out at the blank, grey sky spanning out beyond the metal rail. “You can’t see stars in the city, _aibou.”_

“Oh? Then why do you like looking out of my skylight so much?”

Atem peeked at his partner out of the corner of his eye, and saw Yuugi doing the exact same thing with a satisfied little grin. Atem felt his own mouth twitch with the urge to mimic him, and he focused forward again, his hand busying itself with rolling the dice Bakura had gifted him as he replied, “Well, _you found me._ Does that mean you’re going back to sleep?”

“Only if you are.”

Atem stalled his rolling and looked up at his partner properly, unable and _unwilling_ to ignore the challenge in his voice.

Yuugi’s gaze was as welcoming as always, but even in the dim shadows of the balcony, Atem could see the concern in his eyes… and he breathed out the impulse to conceal.

“I was restless,” he admitted, smiling against the confession. “I couldn’t sleep, and I felt stifled inside since I couldn’t move around without waking someone up.”

“You’re not moving much now,” Yuugi observed, regarding Atem’s easy posture with a light eye… until his expression fogged back over with a frown. “It’s not your head again, is it?”

“Hmm? Oh, no. I took another dose before we went to bed, and it must be working fine. It hasn’t bothered me since dinner.”

Yuugi nodded, though his shoulders relaxed only a touch. “Still, it’s weird that it was hurting in the first place. You could be getting sick.”

“It was just a headache, _aibou,”_ Atem dismissed, though his chest swelled pleasantly at his partner’s show of concern. He tried to hand the feeling back to him on a glance, and Yuugi’s furrowed brow smoothed out under Atem’s simple, “It happens to everyone sometimes.”

Yuugi hummed, seemingly content with the argument, but opaque considerations floated within his violet eyes… until he finally found his voice enough to ask, “Then why are you out here?”

Atem sighed out a nonexistent tension through his nose and let his head roll back against the wall, his eyes falling to the violet dice caught between his fingers… mindlessly turning them back and forth to catch the street lights as he considered. Was it wise to give those concerns voice? They were trivial at best, and the most troubling point _about_ them was they troubled Atem at _all–_ at least enough to keep his ever evasive rest out of reach. There was nothing to be gained from speaking of this, so the most practical course of action was surely to dismiss the subject, not indulge it.

But when he looked up to do just that? Tell Yuugi it was nothing?

He saw it there in his partner’s eyes– a disquiet, layered beneath attentive, polite curiosity.

Yuugi was worried about him.

Mildly, uncertainly so, but Atem could see the shift that would come as assuredly as if he had already spoken. If Atem dismissed this, Yuugi would wonder. He would consider possibilities, weigh them in his mind and strive to deny the worst of them, in vain. He would assume Atem was hiding something so as not to worry him… and thus worry.  Atem could laugh at the inevitability of it, sentimental amusement bubbling up where frustration rightly should have, and his rising smile only spread wide when he saw Yuugi’s frown fade into a confused blink.

Well enough, then. If humoring this silliness a little longer would grant his partner some peace of mind– “Do you remember what I said earlier? About the movie messing with my head?”

“What are you… Oh!” Yuugi cried out, only to snap his mouth shut and glance anxiously at the glass door. Atem followed his gaze, but the seconds ticked by and no one appeared. If Yuugi had been heard at all, none of their sleeping friends must know where to look for them, at least. Which was just as well, as Atem wasn’t interested in anyone else hearing what was said as Yuugi turned back and quietly asked, “Yeah… are you ready to talk about it, then? About what bothered you about it?”

“If you like,” Atem offered, his ease re-finding itself under Yuugi’s refound attention. “Though, it was never really about the movie. It was more something Honda said to me about it.”

“What Honda-kun said? What… _oh,”_ Yuugi repeated, the word not a yelp this time, but a whisper, and even in the half-light Atem could see his partner’s cheeks flushing beneath instantly wide, caught eyes. “You mean… what he said after the movie? About love?”

It was all too tempting to let that word hang in the air unanswered, as Yuugi fidgeted so hilariously under the weight of it. But Atem indulged himself only a _few_ bare seconds before ending the teen’s misery. “We spoke more about it later, but yes. Basically.”

Yuugi nodded, not quite meeting his eye as he asked, “What about it? What did he say that’s bothering you?”

Atem expected the question, and yet he frowned with the asking, his mouth pursing flat under Yuugi’s returned focus… and he found _he_ couldn’t meet his partner’s eye as he admitted, “He asked if I understood the difference between the friendship featured in the book, and the romance in the movie.” And he didn’t know why saying so troubled him. He had all but admitted to that uncertainty after the movie, in front of everyone. But still Atem found himself staring at their knees… his right brushing Yuugi’s left as _he_ shifted restlessly.

Yuugi’s though had finally gone completely still, his constant fidgets gone. And when Atem followed the line of the attached leg up to his partner’s face, he saw Yuugi was frowning, face scrunched in caught confusion as he stared at the balcony rail, until… “But you’ve never read the book, right? So how would you know?”

Atem– he surprised _himself,_ much less his partner, when a laugh caught in his throat and hummed out long enough to be heard before he swallowed it back. “I think he meant the point as a general example.”

“Well, that’s stupid!”

Yuugi remembered himself enough to not _yell_ again, but Atem still stared, taken aback by the impatient vehemence of the hushed outburst. And Yuugi seemed to realize it himself, as he blanched in the face of Atem’s arched brow. “Oh, _is it?”_

“Well, _yeah!_ I mean–” Yuugi grimaced, pinched his lips around some raw reaction until he finally squashed it down into an uncomfortable, stumbling, but still calm, “I mean, no offense to Honda-kun, but… one friendship’s not the same as another, right? I mean…” He was gesturing, raising his hands to mime some meaning his words struggled to convey, but after a couple of tries he gave up on that, too. Instead he sighed, shifting to face him a little more directly as he waved vaguely between them, apparently finding a steadying courage in Atem’s quiet, unexpectedly transfixed stare. “For instance, my friendship with _him,_ versus my friendship with _Jounouchi-kun,_ versus Bakura-kun and Otogi-kun and Anzu-chan, and _you?_ Those are all _friendships,_ yes, but they’re not the same. Each one is special. So, how can there be one set of differences between _that_ and romantic love? And… and from everything I’ve seen, people in love can feel different ways about each other, too. How one person feels might not be the same as another, but it can still be romantic love for both. There’s no set of rules for that, either.”

He was correct. Atem understood the bare facts at least that far, and Yuugi was certainly right to say one relationship never mimicked another, be it friendship _or_ romance. But Atem was _also_ well informed enough to suggest, “I think _attraction_ at least is supposed to be a constant with ‘movie’ love– romantic feelings, and not with friendship,” with a fair amount of confidence.

To his surprise, though, even if his partner _did_ blush again, Yuugi actually _countered_ him, shooting him a sharp, pointed look as he said, “You can be _attracted_ to a friend, and it not be romance.”

That… sounded right.

Atem couldn’t say why as the claim initially shocked him, but he blinked through the thought… and it rang true on some intuitive level. But the fact remained that Yuugi looked visibly uncomfortable as he said it, and he only glowered harder as he went on, dropping his gaze to his feet. “It just… doesn’t add up instantly, trust me. Attraction might be a part of ‘movie’ love, yeah, and I’ve at least never _heard_ of romantic love without that, sure, but who knows! And either way, being attracted to a friend doesn’t mean you’re _in love_ with them, and… let’s say it even _did._ Being romantically in love with a friend? That wouldn’t _negate_ the friendship part, right?”

…

This was personal.

Whatever Yuugi was thinking of, he was speaking from a _very_ personal point of view.

And the obvious given of _who_ he must be thinking of drew a wan smile from the pharaoh, but it was sour from the first due to the obvious melancholy in his partner’s mind.

Why did the subject trouble Yuugi so?

But his partner was talking in generalities, and if he didn’t want to say names? Atem wouldn’t either. He just replied to the question as it was, offering an agreeable, “I wouldn’t think so, no.”

And Yuugi latched onto it, his bright, shot eyes jumping back to him as he quietly exclaimed, “Then that just backs what I mean even more! If you can feel _both_ at once, where is the line between them? What do you feel as a friend, and not as a friend? And if you can be attracted to a friend without it being romantic at _all,_ it _can’t_ be a defining point between ‘movie love’ and ‘book love’ as you put it. So… it… it can all just get really tangled up, you know? When you try to say things like ‘that means it’s just friendship’ or ‘you’re obviously in love’ in a general sense? That doesn’t work. You have to take each case alone, and just ask the people involved how they feel… right?” He finished the insistent argument on a question, a _doubt,_ his expression clouding over with uncertainty for his own claims.

And all Atem could do was smile, because… did Yuugi not realize he was just _backing_ the logic of his confusion?

But he didn’t ask. He just shook his head, and pointed out, “I think Honda’s entire point was I _don’t_ know, even in my own case.”

The storm in Yuugi’s face cleared, gave way to a quiet sea of soft, damp, unsteady understanding. _“Oh…_ Then Honda-kun was actually afraid that you don’t know what _you_ feel? Because… if you don’t understand romantic love, you can’t pick that out from attraction or friendship with… what _you_ feel?”

“I understand what it _is,_ but… no, I doubt I could pinpoint the differences if I had to,” Atem admitted, quietly amazed by his partner’s consideration and patience to go along with this odd, out-of-nowhere topic, even as he shot the teen a half-fond, half-teasing grin. “But going by _that_ explanation you just gave me, it seems I’m not the only one who struggles with that.”

Yuugi blinked twice, _three_ times… then grinned back, snickering to himself as he looked off into the night. “Yeah, I guess. But like I said, naming it is different from _feeling_ it, and… honestly, _mou hitori no boku?”_ He sighed, scratching his cheek before turning far lighter, less troubled eyes back on Atem. “I think the mistake here is thinking you’re weird for not knowing any of this, even _for_ yourself. To tell the truth, I think most people struggle with defining stuff like this, even explaining the difference in what _they_ feel, at least in words. It’s just… we take it for granted because we have the chance to stumble through it, and figure it out naturally. _Without_ words, you know? I… think that’s why it’s supposed to be such a given. Why people act weird if you actually ask for explanations. We don’t _have_ explanations. We just…” He shrugged, grinning a humble grin as he let his hand drop. “We learn. By experience.”

Somewhere along the way, Atem shifted. His legs stretched out until one lay flat as the other bent at the knee, so he could lean his elbow on it… and his chin against his knuckles, the better to meet his partner’s gaze as he spoke. Watch him, and marvel at the shifting colors of Yuugi’s expression as he eased into his own answer, and offered it to Atem in turn.

It was a gift Atem accepted with warm eyes, finding _himself_ oddly content to dredge up the unknowns of his heart in the face of Yuugi’s earnest efforts, to ask, “Then, you think my situation is to blame for my ignorance? That if I had the chance, it would all come naturally with time?”

And it was a testament to his partner’s sincerity that he handed him back no false assurances. Just another shrug, an easy smile, and a modest, “Maybe?”

And Atem shook his head, a chuckle on his tongue and a certainty in his head that it was more complicated than Yuugi likely even knew. Whatever the truth may be with this debate, romance or friendship, books or movies, Atem knew _something_ was off as far as the _attraction_ factor went… at least for him. While other factors might take time, and chance, and a bit of luck, he had seen enough, watched Yuugi and Jounouchi and Honda and Anzu and countless others more than enough to know that _that_ was supposed to be near instantaneous. And yet Atem had never felt an urge to blush over or stare at someone as others did, and even his friends had noticed the oddity of it sometimes, even if they didn’t know it. Jounouchi, for instance? He had been _baffled_ when Atem hadn’t noticed that that Mayumi girl was ‘hot’, but he really _hadn’t_ noticed! Had _never_ noticed something like that with _anyone,_ before _or_ after getting this new-old body. And without _that…_ was anything but friendship even possible?

…But then, perhaps that lack was just a consequence of his time spent as a spirit, too? Did he… did he have to learn how to feel things like _that,_ too?

…Honestly, it was kind of a relief he wasn’t interested in finding out.

And as such, Atem felt no urge to mention anything of the sort, even to his partner. He simply accepted Yuugi’s answer, and met it with an easy, “Either way, I wouldn’t call any of this a big deal. The only reason it troubled me at all was Honda seemed to think I am missing something critical with my confusion. That I’m making some sort of mistake.”

And when Honda had all but said so, he had seem so… _concerned._

That was the heart of the problem, when it came down to it. _Something_ had prompted that scene, Honda spouting nonsense in Bakura’s hallway with worry in his eyes. Something _Atem_ had done, and whatever it was went far beyond a couple confused comments about the value of romance and its portrayal in a movie. But… what? What could bring Honda to him saying such things? What had he been trying to get _him_ to say? To see? It was definitely something more than a philosophical point on feelings, that was for sure. It was like Honda was trying to open his eyes to something… something having to do with romantic feelings.

But… was it supposed to be something Atem didn’t understand about _himself?_ Or… was it something he was missing in someone _else?_

A face flashed through Atem’s mind, and a grim weight set heavy in his gut.

He certainly hoped Honda wasn’t referring to _her._ However blind he may or may _not_ be, Atem was not ignorant of _her_ feelings, and no amount of awareness on his part would help there, or convince him to fear the regret of doing nothing. Whatever the truth may be, Atem would end up hurting more than one person by even _acknowledging_ those feelings, and he would avoid whatever hurt he could, if he could help it… especially when one of the hearts on the line was almost certainly his partner’s.

Yuugi… just the thought brought Atem’s focus back to him.

The boy was frowning at the ground, a dreary sort of confusion in his gaze, but it was gone in a blink when Atem asked, “Do you think I am?”

“Think you’re… what?”

“Making some sort of mistake somewhere, related to the whole movie-romantic love thing?” Atem probably wouldn’t change a thing even if he _were,_ but if his partner had some insight that could shed light on Honda’s thinking–

But Yuugi jerked upright as he processed the question, his face burning an impressive red as he glared and hissed, “Why would I know any better?!”

Atem arched both brows for the shockingly defensive reply, wondering if he should be amused or alarmed. “I think you would at least know better than _I_ would.”

“I don’t know that! I know…” Yuugi turned his face away, shifted to pull his knees up to his chest and hug them there, drawing another twitch of frowning concern from Atem in the process. “I know _you know_ that _I’ve_ felt that before, but I don’t know if _you_ have.”

 _Felt_ that… _before?_

The words echoed through Atem’s head, bounced about oddly, but did not settle in his mind long enough to distract him from frowning at the profile of Yuugi’s face, or insisting, _”Aibou,_ if _anyone_ has an idea of what I’ve felt…” The point trailed off, caught in his throat with what Atem thought _had_ to be a given. But when Yuugi finally looked at him, it was with a wary question in his eye, and the other could only shake his head and accept that it would have to be said. “Most people might not get that kind of insight, but tied as we were? You witnessed nearly everything I went through and remember, and what I felt. Just as I did for you.” And if _he_ knew such intimate details of Yuugi’s own feelings, surely it worked the other way around.

And indeed, his partner’s expression smoothed out at his argument, his posture loosening as he considered… but still he hugged his knees as he spoke. “I suppose so, but even when I _could_ feel what you felt, it was more like… colors than words?” And Yuugi’s eyes flicked back to his, asking silently if that made sense… and he smiled.

Because Atem was smiling.

Because even if the term _colors_ had never occurred to him before, he knew exactly what Yuugi was referring to… the flow of emotions that had connected them for months, running between them like… like an IV, feeding precious life’s blood from one heart to another in a mutual, constant feed.

A connection that was now closed, cut off, but when Atem looked at Yuugi and saw that same sweet memory hanging in his eyes?

For a moment, it was like it was still there…

And he was smiling and his chest was humming and it was far, far too tempting to just keep hanging in that moment… but even as Yuugi lingered there with him, he whispered on, so quiet it was like he was loathe to break the silence. “And if I… if I _recognized_ the feeling, then yeah, I could name it. But I remember lots of times I felt you feeling something, but I had no idea what it was. Didn’t even know if it was a good feeling or a bad one. So, even with us, wouldn’t _you_ still be the one to know better? Shouldn’t _you_ be saying for yourself what you have or haven’t felt?”

Yuugi had found such confidence in their gaze that even _Atem_ was lulled into an easy ease with the discussion, hearing every word and understanding each one but never balking or stumbling at the meaning. Even when his partner fell silent with his questions and Atem stumbled for an answer, he frowned more from a struggle for words than a hesitance to reply. “…I know what I feel, and that I’m the only one who could truly know what is in my own heart. But… that doesn’t mean I have the right words to name those feelings, either. Sometimes, they’re just ‘colors’ for me, too.”

Yuugi’s complacent features scrunched tight with slowly rising confusion, culminating in a quiet retort of, “But, you said you know what romantic love is, so…”

“I know what it looks like, but I don’t know what it _feels_ like. Not enough to feel it and say, ‘Ah, that’s it. That’s _movie_ love that I’m feeling.’” Atem gestured vaguely with the faux revelation, mimicking a marveling awe that dissolved Yuugi’s own expression into a snorting, silly grin that Atem quickly mirrored– only to drop it with a shake of his head, letting his arm fall back to the ground between them. “And so, unless it just _happens_ and you ‘know it’ when you feel it–”

“You can’t be sure if what you’ve felt was ever _that_ or not,” Yuugi finished, earning a nod in return.

“Exactly.” An odd satisfaction settled low in Atem’s belly. All of this might be soundly academic, but it was still amazingly validating to hear his partner understand his confusion for what it was– that he even _could_ understand what it was. Atem had been fairly resigned to a permanent, abstract confusion on the matter, and while he had made easy peace with that? He found himself seduced by the unexpected recognition, and greedy for more. And without any reason in sight for temperance, he gave freely into that impulse, shooting Yuugi a curious eye as he asked, “So, does it? Just happen? Or _can_ you feel it without even knowing what it is?”

Yuugi… he didn’t recoil or spaz at the inquiry. No, this time he grew… _quiet,_ in expression and posture as well as voice. And Atem knew the look well. It was the look of his partner retreating into himself, curling tight around some thought or feeling in a fierce effort to understand it. Contain it. Hide it.

The latter was often a source of _alarm_ for the former spirit, but he felt no such need for concern now. No, context was evidence enough that Yuugi was simply taking his answer very, very seriously, and Atem felt no urge to disturb him. He simply watched, expressing his gratitude through patience, until Yuugi _finally…_ shook his head, tilting it to rest his chin upon his arms as he shrugged at his once other self. “I don’t know if there’s a single answer for that. Sometimes? Maybe? But… either way, if you _felt_ it, but didn’t know it or act on it, or even _react_ to it, then you haven’t really experienced it anyways, right?”

Atem considered that, then shrugged in turn, an untroubled uncertainty marking his voice. “I suppose not. Not unless you think the feeling, even unrecognized, has its own merit.”

“I don’t know… but even if it does, it’s hard to imagine getting any happiness out of it like that.”

Happiness…

If Honda was right, then happiness was supposed to be _inherent_ to this, somehow. Could that feeling really exist _without_ happiness, then?

Atem didn’t know. Didn’t understand his own train of thought enough to voice the argument to Yuugi. Even considering the thought was confusing, and–

“Sorry.” Atem looked over and… saw Yuugi staring at him, a heavy, troubling apology within his smile. “I haven’t been much help, have I?”

The former pharaoh froze, caught off guard, his mind flying wild and scattered in the face of his partner’s contrition– and then old impulses took over, and he smirked through his own alarm, letting the wonder and gratitude he felt rise up in his gaze and voice. “Nonsense, _aibou._ You made a _lot_ of things clearer than before. Sure, I’m still uncertain what any of it means for me, but it doesn’t matter. Whatever’s true, I don’t care if I don’t understand all of my own feelings. I only brought this up in the first place because I wanted to understand Honda’s concerns.”

Yuugi had tucked his chin tight behind his forearm when he apologized, but as Atem talked the boy’s face slowly lifted up until he was blinking at eye level again, the shift in his expression uncoiling the tension in Atem’s gut. “Really? Then you don’t regret never having a chance to learn this stuff… _naturally?”_

Atem snorted, grinning through his partner’s clear embarrassment for the allusion. “Not at all. I know I haven’t enjoyed certain ‘normal’ bonds in my time as a spirit.” And despite this whole talk, even if he _did_ feel that way about someone and know it, he wouldn’t _act_ on it as Yuugi put it, so it didn’t matter. “But I still have bonds that I can call all my own… and I have gotten to know someone in a way that’s all my own, too.”

And _finally_ Yuugi was smiling again, unfolding his legs from his chest to sit back properly, legs stretched out and hands to the ground supporting him as he relaxed and chirped a cheery, “Right! Our friendships _are_ pretty unique and one-of-a-”

“I meant _you.”_

Yuugi’s mouth snapped shut. He stared at Atem, speechless… but the other just kept smiling, his partner’s shock merely molding his gaze into something warmer, unabashedly fond, even as he kept his tone light and his words teasing. “I don’t think many people get to ever have a partner, you know. And I don’t need any definitions or words to know how special that is.”

Because at the end of the day, even as Atem treasured each and every one of his friends?

There would only ever be one Yuugi.

And Yuugi opened his mouth to reply… only to come up with nothing. His eyes spoke freely though of shot-through sweetness and feelings that could easily bubble up as tears. But they didn’t. Only his expression and twisted smile spoke of crying as he beamed wordlessly at the space between their legs, where their hands lingered side-by-side.

And Atem watched it all with a silent heart, as if from a distance, but still soundly and undeniably _there,_ brimming over with a peace that had no name, _smiling…_ and grinning wide when Yuugi suddenly nudged him in the shoulder, breaking the silence with a bashful, washed-through, “I guess not, but then there aren’t too many people who get to say they had another self, either.”

“Exactly!” Atem agreed, shining with the thrill of so clearly touching his partner… only to dim just as quickly when he saw Yuugi’s smile, still pointed at their hands, and something chimed _wrong._

He went still, silent, watched… and Yuugi didn’t seem to notice. He was too caught in some thought that clouded his expression even as Atem watched, fogging it over… obscuring it with shadows that had nothing to do with the night.

“What?”

Yuugi blinked, came visibly back to himself, but the gaze he offered Atem was blank, and filmed over… and he soon shook his head, trying for another smile. “Nothing.”

“I can see it’s not _nothing,_ so what is it?”

His demand was gentle, but still insistent enough that Yuugi _did_ open his mouth as if to reply… but a frown started in his eyes and spilled over across his face, and he turned it away, looking at his lap.

And the sight clogged up Atem’s throat until he dropped the dice still caught in his hand, and replaced them with his partner’s wrist.

Yuugi sucked in a breath and his arm twitched, but he did not truly tense or pull away, so Atem firmed his grip and held fast, cradling the thin bones between his fingers. He caught his partner’s eye when Yuugi impulsively looked up, stared at him. And Atem ignored the blank shock he saw there and his _own_ tight chest to insist, “You don’t have to say if you don’t want to, but I can’t pretend not to see you’re upset. So, if you’re willing to tell me, _please,_ tell me.”

Nothing came out when Yuugi opened his mouth, but Atem read the concession in his eyes all the same, and waited as he swallowed and sought words from nothing, eyes dropping to Atem’s chest… to where the Puzzle would be, if he hadn’t left it on his pillow back in the living room. “I guess,” he began on a sigh, somehow wilting and tensing in the same breath. “It’s just that… there’s been something on _my_ mind, too, and… I know it’s been happening kind of naturally, under the circumstances, but…”

…And he went silent. Yuugi’s face contorted around some emotion too sharp to swallow easily, and Atem couldn’t move. Couldn’t look away, _or speak,_ save to utter a quiet, simple “What?” when the silence dragged on too long to stand.

And Yuugi finally found the will to speak by looking away and sucking in a breath that pounded through Atem’s head like a scream. “Y– you’re not–” he started, only to squeeze his eyes tight… and slowly face him again, his gaze calm and steady but resigned in a way that only raked over Atem’s nerves the worse. “You’re not…” Yuugi began again, motioning between them with a hand– the one Atem wasn’t clutching like a lifeline. _”We’re_ not… you’re not the ‘other Yuugi’ anymore, right?”

Atem didn’t answer.

Just _stared_ as Yuugi quietly added, “So, you’re not really _mou hitori no boku_ anymore, either.”

…He didn’t know what Yuugi might have seen, looking at him. Likely nothing, for surely no expression could capture the way his heart froze at the suggestion. But… there must have been _something_ visible, for Yuugi slowly… started to smile, a sad, forlorn thing that Atem wanted to deny as much as that truth. “I get that,” Yuugi whispered, as if that was supposed to comfort him. “It needs to happen, I know.”

…There was nothing to say. Nothing… Atem _should_ say. And it wasn’t a new sensation by any means. Moments like this had struck time and again, ever since… ever since that fire. Moments where agreeing would hurt. Confirming this _separation_ would hurt, and denying it? That would hurt too, if only later. And pretending he was happy about it, _that_ would hurt, and _telling the truth…_ that would surely hurt most of all.  

And so, in the end, all Atem could do was stare into Yuugi’s excruciating smile… and offer a smile back. “That doesn’t change what _has_ been true,” he assured, voice little more than a whisper as he pulsed the lightest breath of pressure over his partner’s wrist. “It’s already happened though, you know,” he claimed, warm, sweet pride rolling his grin into something true as he watched his partner blink into uncertain wonder. “There is no ‘needs to’ about it. You already _are_ the only Yuugi. Always were, really, and as long as you remember that, I don’t mind what you call me.”

Because that was it. That was as near as Atem would allow himself to that selfish wish.

To not lose the name only Yuugi called him.

Though Atem felt no qualms whatsoever about meeting Yuugi’s wary, relieved gaze with an open smirk and saying, “I certainly don’t plan to stop calling you _aibou,_ after all!”

Yuugi– he laughed.

He actually laughed, tugging his wrist free to cover the noise with both hands as Atem beamed at him– only to blink into a blank stillness when Yuugi recovered and reinstated the contact, clutching the back of _his_ hand. “Good, because calling me _Yuugi_ at this point would be just plain weird! Though, if you wanted to do that _sometimes,_ that might be okay, too.”

And whatever the surprise in his dusty mind, Atem had to match the grin Yuugi shot him, turn his hand and clutch right back as he offered a simple, “I will keep that in mind.”

Yuugi nodded, seemingly satisfied… only to blink into an oddly surprised expression, and finally shake his head. “This is all _really_ off-topic, you know.”

For a moment, Atem was honestly not sure what his partner meant… but somewhere amidst Yuugi’s grin, the memories clicked back into place, and the former pharaoh traded his confused stares for a head shake of his own. “I suppose it is.”

“And this is definitely not conducive to sleep.”

“That so? Then why don’t you stop talking to me, and go back to bed?”

“Eh, I will if you will,” Yuugi allowed, eyeing him with a bright, cheerful challenge. “We’re the same, after all. You have to get up early to eat breakfast with the others, just like me. So, if _you_ can stay up despite that, so can I.”

There was no good argument for that, and so – after determinedly _trying_ to think of one – Atem simply leaned back against the bricks and shot him a quiet, “Stubborn.”

Yuugi’s grin didn’t let up an inch, sharp violets following Atem’s shifting as he asked, “Do you think I get that from you?”

“Hah, don’t even _try_ to put that on me, _aibou._ You were stubborn long before I came along.”

“Yup! And don’t you forget it!”

Atem coughed with the force of his reaction before finally breaking down into a proper, if stifled laugh, the sound coming out more as hisses and huffs than a chuckle. “That doesn’t make any sense!”

“It doesn’t have to,” Yuugi insisted, tone all sage wisdom and arrogance. “I’m right.”

Atem sniffed as his broken laughter came to an end, leaving him leaning weary but happy against the wall with his eyes shut, a faint smile on his face. “You do realize it’s well past midnight, right?”

“Ah, so you _can_ tell time.”

Atem pried one eye open to shoot his partner a _look,_ and Yuugi dissolved into a spray of muffled giggles, shifting to lean back himself once more as he mumbled a soft, “Sorry.”

He clearly wasn’t sorry at _all,_ but then Atem had never been annoyed, either, so he found it all too easy to let his glare go as his partner huddled in close to his side. “It’s fine.”

Yuugi hummed some noncommittal, content thing, and Atem relaxed, his gaze sliding once more to the balcony rail, and the cityscape and night sky beyond… feeling no urge to break the silence by rising or leaving.

Logically speaking, they should be following his own advice, and retreating to bed. For Yuugi was right, they _should_ be asleep. And, given the quiet that fell between them, neither had much else to say worthy of delaying that rest.

But, even if Atem _did_ relent and linger? Or Yuugi _wasn’t_ ready to go? He did know one thing. Atem would much rather pass the time appreciating Yuugi’s company than wasting it bickering over nothing, or worrying his partner, or trying to figure out something he could just ask Honda about later– or, _better yet,_ let go of entirely. After all, he wasn’t going to do anything with the answer anyways, once he had it. Thinking about it and talking about it was just an exercise in futility, running around in his own head for no good reason.

But then, that was the trouble, wasn’t it? Atem was _thinking_ too much, as Sugoroku so often liked to put it during shop hours, when he brought up some puzzle that was bothering him. Atem was letting the failure of not knowing a solution seduce him into worrying too much and thinking too much about things that… really didn’t matter.

Not to him.

…And now he was thinking about how he shouldn’t be thinking about it.

Atem huffed out a sigh and opened his eyes to peer at Yuugi, ready to pack it in for the night and put this whole thing soundly to bed.

Except… when he moved to say so, he saw his partner’s face.

Yuugi’s eyes were shut.

Atem stared, utterly still… but no matter how long he waited, Yuugi didn’t open his eyes. And as Atem climbed back out of the depths of his own head, he realized that his partner was… leaning into his side. _Slouching_ more like, shoulder and elbow and hip all practically digging into Atem’s arm, and… and his head wasn’t _touching_ him, but it was turned in his direction.

As if Yuugi had fallen asleep, looking at him.

And Atem looked at _him,_ faint shock mingling with mute fascination as he realized, if he just _focused_ on it, he could feel Yuugi’s breath against his chin.

…

His lips twitched, stretched slow and wondering into a smile as he stared… before he shifted his hand beneath Yuugi’s, tapped a thumb across his knuckles.

If he had to wake him back up, there was no need to be jarring about it.

But Yuugi’s doze must have been deeper than Atem thought, for he didn’t wake.

Just smiled.

And Atem’s touch stilled, a warmth welling up in his chest that he could only name _relief._

He had been worried… _afraid._ Afraid that he had upset Yuugi with their talk. Especially towards the end, when they spoke of _them._ After _that,_ Atem wouldn’t have been shocked at all if his partner was just hiding his distress by joking around and smiling for him.

But no… it would be impossible for Yuugi to take that cover into his sleep, and here he was. Unconscious, open, vulnerable, honest, and _smiling._

And Atem couldn’t help but lean back, shut his eyes, and deflate with his own relief, because… because he was okay. Yuugi was truly okay.

Which was good, because no _matter what,_ Atem needed things to be okay with Yuugi. To be good between them. Because that was what mattered to him. Because _yes,_ he _was_ concerned what he had done to worry Honda, but at the end of the day? Weird horror movies, odd comments from well-meaning friends, and even the mysteries of the human heart and what made it pulse? That was all irrelevant next to what _really_ mattered to Atem, and… and well okay, a _lot_ of stuff mattered to Atem, sure. Finish what he started, make sure Zorc never showed his face again, bring no trouble to the Mutous while he waited for that to be possible, enjoy his time with his friends _while_ he waited for that to be possible…

But, right then? In that moment?

What came to mind most of all when Atem thought ‘what matters to me’ was _Yuugi,_ and being with him, and making him smile. Finding new ways to _make_ him smile, and express how happy _he_ made _him,_ so that Yuugi would never doubt it… Yes, that was a _way_ better use of his time. And Atem certainly shouldn’t be upsetting Yuugi by reminding him how things had changed between them, how he would be leaving, or… giving him nightmares.

Atem frowned as he recalled _that night,_ finding his partner crying in his sleep… only to jerk when he realized _far too belatedly_ that he was squeezing Yuugi’s hand.

He loosened his grip immediately, but _that_ seemed to disturb his partner far more than the clenching had, as he sniffled and shifted against the wall… then went still again.

And the tension dropped out of Atem’s shoulders as he sighed… his gaze falling thoughtfully to the hand he was still holding.

The hand he _could_ hold.

 _…Honestly,_ he really _was_ wasting a golden opportunity.

Atem _wasn’t a spirit anymore_ , and he should be _using_ that fact! Using it to… to share new things with his partner. Visit places together, enjoy new experiences, play games they never could before. Make new memories, as Yuugi put it. And… and Atem was loving every minute of it, spending time with all of their friends. But when it came down to it? He had had a lot of chances in the past to hang out with everyone _else,_ go to class and have lunch and play at the arcade. But the part that was really, truly _new_ to him was what he could do with _Yuugi._

Because sure, they had shared countless wonderful moments together already, but now that Atem was his own person? There nearly all of the time, _visible_ and _at his partner’s side,_ rather than within him? Yuugi was directing more and more of his smiles _at him,_ where Atem could see and appreciate them properly, and not just as feedback of the heart. And that… that was a treasure he had never expected to find. Because yes, he had been blessed for _years,_ gotten to see Yuugi’s happiness from the _inside_ that whole time, but now? Now he had a chance to see it from the _outside,_ with his _own eyes._ And to be a real, present part of what _made_ Yuugi happy everyday? That was… that was wonderful… and it felt better than he could have ever imagined. It was _amazing,_ and he could revel in it _forever_ if he had the chance! Because… because not just _seeing_ that happiness? _Being_ happy _with_ Yuugi was… was…

…

Atem… stopped breathing.

Stared at that hand… without blinking…  

 _Being… a_ **_part_ ** _of his happiness…_

…

He looked up… into Yuugi’s face.

…

He was mixing up words.

It had to be a coincidence. Random. No, not even random! Honda’s words were just rolling around in his head still, and he had naturally drawn on them because they _sounded_ similar. Because of _course he–_ He _did_ like being happy with Yuugi, _yes,_ and seeing Yuugi happy, so _of course…_ but that wasn’t the same thing!

 _That… that is just stupid. It’s_ **_stupid_** _. I’m not– I don’t– I don’t_ **_love–_ **

His teeth clenched as if to stifle the word he had never even uttered, but no. There it was. And as he couldn’t take it back, he couldn’t deny the _screech_ in his head of **_lie!_ **

And he shut his eyes against it, tried to reason with himself. Because _of_ **_course_ ** _I love him! He– I’ve_ **_always_ ** _loved– But that’s not_ **_the same!_ ** _It’s just… as his partner! Not in a– in a_ **_movie_ ** _sense!_

He breathed. Tried to breathe. Tried to bring some logic to the broken beat of his heart.

But it… just… the pounding softened in the silence that scorched across his mind, yes, but that pulse raced as it quieted, faster and faster until his head was full and dizzy with the hum of his own blood, and all he could do was _stare._

Stare at their hands… still clasped tight… his own burning cold with sweat.

He didn’t dare look up. Didn’t dare _look_ at Yuugi, but his face was there all the same, and–

 _This is stupid. This is–_ He clenched his eyes shut, shook with the denied urge to squeeze that hand.

That– _hand–_

_This is entirely off bounds!_

He sucked in a breath and froze… everything within him freezing, save for the runaway stream of his own thoughts.

 _That_ thought.

He… he _couldn’t…_ he shouldn’t even be _considering_ such a thing, much less with _Yuugi!_ And what basis did he even have _for_ such thoughts, save for outside suggestion?! He– he had _never–_

_Can you feel it without even knowing what it is?_

Atem jerked, opened eyes to stare blindly at their hands as that memory… of his _own question…_ it…

…Surely not. How could he… how could he feel something like _that_ and not… not recognize…  

…He remembered.

Remembered Yuugi’s smile.

Countless smiles spread across a year of blooming friendship and trust. A year of time spent together, watching him laugh, and cry, and dance, and just… just sharing moments – _the sweetest moments_ – when Atem managed to _make_ Yuugi smile and _look at him_ with warmth in his eyes and nothing felt better than Yuugi _looking at him like that_ and… and… _but…_ but that was _just love_! It didn’t mean Atem felt _movie-romantic-whatever_ love for him! It was… that was… never an _option…_ just like… with everyone else. He was a _spirit_ who had to borrow a body to even _experience_ something like that! And it was _Yuugi’s body_ to begin with, so even if that _was_ okay he couldn’t _with_ Yuugi, so…

So…

…His chest hurt.

Atem’s eyes focused, caught on their hands… watched, _felt it_ as he twisted his hand, _just a little,_ and Yuugi’s fingers started to slide off of his own sweaty ones… only to twitch, and subconsciously clench tighter.

Hold onto him.

And Atem felt it.

…His chest hurt.

…

He… he wasn’t a spirit anymore. And things that… were impossible before, were– _still extremely stupid! And I’ve never thought like this before! Thought that I want– want to– that I want to_ **_touch–_ **

A bandaged cheek flashed in his mind.

Atem… could find no thought to refute _that,_ no will to block the memory rising up behind his eyes.

The memories…

The memory of Yuugi in a hospital bed, crying and smiling and hurt and _Atem reaching for him,_ the sweetness of Yuugi _reaching back,_ holding on even… even when Atem couldn’t feel him properly.

…Even when he ached _so much_ to feel him. To reach out and wrap himself around his partner in his relief and despair and… and the underside of his resignation later, as he accepted that he would have to leave– that same want to never let go of his partner. To hold onto him forever and… and…

And everything.

He had wanted to _be with Yuugi._

Utterly, _completely,_ in any way that he could. 

Even as the certainty he couldn’t stay struck him, he had… but no. That want had been there long, _long_ before, and well after, pulsing quiet and constant and forgettable as a heartbeat. And… and every time Yuugi smiled at him, well before the fire and the museum and their paths were split by the truth? Atem had looked into each of Yuugi’s smiles and wanted to live in them, bask in them and _drown in a feeling_ and when it was the only means at his disposal, he had just… just _bathed_ in the feedback of his partner’s heart, but… but if he had _just had some other means–_

Atem sucked in a breath, and the strike of long denied oxygen left him dizzy, mindless as he brushed restless, mapping fingers over and under Yuugi’s palm, the sensation of his skin leaving him breathless all over again, thinking back to a watery smile his partner offered him not so long ago, in exchange for a few written words of affection.

Words that had… fallen so short… of what he had wanted to say.

Because words could _never_ cover it alone, and if he had had some other means? He would have taken it… He would have taken _any_ means at his disposal to savor his partner’s joy and extend it and revel in it and show him how precious he really was to him, and he had felt _so limited_ when all he could do was write down a few shallow words and insist they were true and just… exist at his partner’s side. He wanted to– to…

And later, _after_ the fire? He had come out to find Yuugi _alive_ and his partner had just _smiled_ at him and Atem had leaned in as close as he could because he wanted to _hold him and–_

He could hold him _now._

Atem clenched his teeth as his breath ran wet, his eyes finally giving in and sliding up, catching on a face _he could touch,_ a partner he could _hold_ if he would just dare, and that same ache from back then was back, and _he could–_

 _I could do that… All I have to do is reach out, and– and I don’t think he’d mind._ Even in Atem’s mind the thought was pitiful, weak and dripping with tears he wouldn’t let rise. _If I told him it’s what I need, I know he’d let me. I… I know it. He wouldn’t_ **_mind_ ** _and… that’s all I need._

But… but as he stared at that face through aching eyes? At those features so familiar and _similar_ but so unique and precious, because they belonged _to him?_ Atem stared at Yuugi’s face… and something went slack within him.

Surrendered.

_That’s not all I need… I’m a liar._

_I’m a_ **_fool_ ** _and a liar and I_ **_know_ ** _it and I’ve just been running from it._

_…_

_No… no, I refused to see it was even there to run from at all. Because if I… thought about this…_

_It’s not_ **_just_ ** _that I want to hold him._

_I want to hold him._

_It’s not_ **_just_ ** _that I want to be with him._

 _I want to_ **_be with_ ** _him._

 _I want to be with him and hold him and everything…_ **_everything_ ** _else. Anything and everything and… and I don’t know if that’s book love or movie love, but… it’s_ **_everything_ ** _love, and that includes movie love, too, doesn’t it? And… and movie love… is…_

Atem… he slowly, _slowly_ let his eyes drift to a single point. A single feature.

Yuugi’s mouth… just barely parted, twitching open and shut the tiniest bit with each passing breath.

 _…Would I want to? Is that_ **_really_ ** _what I–_

Just trying to imagine it felt like walking into a fog. An unknown he had never traveled through before, because… Ah yes, _that_ was why he had never gone down that road before– never even had to _hide_ from that thought. He had no idea what to even _think_ of that… _gesture…_ and was that something he would even want to do at all?

 _I don’t know… I don’t_ **_know._ ** _I’ve never…_

_…_

**_But…_ **

_…If I was going to try?_

_If I was, I know… I know, if I was going to try, I would want…_

_I would want to try with_ **_him._ **

The thought… it circulated through Atem’s head again, and _again,_ the simple sincerity of it spiraling back as a screaming roar that stunned him, _alarmed_ him, the point of contact between them _burning_ until Atem jerked loose as though Yuugi’s hand scalded him.

And he woke up.

Yuugi didn’t jolt or anything, simply lifted his head with a twitch of his shoulders and a loud sniff.

And he was probably blinking, confused, but– but Atem wasn’t looking to know.

He was staring at his hand, resting on his leg… still tingling needles everywhere his partner had been touching him.

“What… it… what time is it?”

He didn’t know. And Atem should have said so. Felt it in the impulse to dismiss, and smoothe over, and ignore.

But he took so long trying to that when he finally clenched his hand and dropped it, focused on the rail with a simple, “Late. We should go to bed,” he could feel it.

Yuugi staring at him.

…He didn’t say anything, though. And moments ticked by, and Atem felt it only in retrospect that he was letting the chance to dismiss slide by. He should be standing up, going to bed.

Instead he sat there like Yuugi’s eyes on his cheek were chains holding him in place, and he had no choice but to endure it until, inevitably, Yuugi spoke.

“What’s wrong?”

Not _is_ something wrong. _What_ was wrong.

He was that sure.

And still Atem foolishly tried to slip loose, with nothing more than a quiet, flat, “Nothing,” to show for himself.

Even _he_ was appalled by his shallow lie, felt the impatience he heard in his partner’s voice.

“I know _that_ much is not true, so what is it?”

There was no point in pretending he was at ease, so Atem took no pains to cover it as he clenched his eyes shut, tried to gather himself back together… and finally sighed out his tension, collected himself enough to shift his legs to stand up. “I’m _fine,_ _aibou,_ we should–”

Fingers found his jaw and neck, and he froze, eyes shooting wide open.

Yuugi was right there, in his face– a frown and sharp, purple eyes right at the end of his nose.

Atem’s stomach smashed into his chest, and everything was floating inside of him– guts and heart and mind, all loose and floating and running into each other.

And all he could do was stare through Yuugi’s ignorant persistence.

“It’s obvious you’re upset about _something, mou hitori no boku,_ and you shouldn’t just _go to bed_ so worried. So, if you don’t want to tell me what it is, just tell me… what I could…”

…Yuugi trailed off into silence.

His mouth shut. His eyes went wide.

Because Atem had shifted… raised his hand… to cradle Yuugi’s.

And the moment he realized it – _saw_ the truth of it in the shock of his partner’s gaze– Atem’s insides recrystallized only to shatter.

He tried to pull away, but while he managed to free his cheek, Yuugi– he was too fast.

He caught Atem’s hand as it tried to escape. Held it fast in the air, _tight,_ as… as he stared at him.

Yuugi was _staring_ at him, and… and Atem knew. His touch might have been just as simple as Yuugi’s, no different than the countless clutches shared between them in the days since the museum, but… but he _knew._ He must have… there must have been _something_ in the way he looked at Yuugi. Something that had no words but was _no less real and visible for it,_ because Atem felt it there, beating in his chest, like a secret he couldn’t hide.

A secret Yuugi was _looking for_ as he stared him in the eye… questioning.

Checking.

And Atem couldn’t run… couldn’t even move… could never lie and _never_ to Yuugi.

But… but surely, if Yuugi could _see it,_ he would be pulling away? Aghast? Uncomfortable?

_Something?_

But no, he was just… staring at him, with the strangest sort of disbelief on his face, and… and asking.

Asking.

…And instead of pulling away, or at _least staying still until Yuugi gave up,_ Atem answered.

He looked at Yuugi’s mouth.

And Yuugi sucked in a breath so loud Atem’s mind blinked back to life and he jerked back and _Yuugi_ jerked back and– and they were both sitting there on the concrete, facing other, leaning back on shaky arms as they _stared_ at each other, _reeling_ because **_what was that?!_ **

And– and Atem floundered, struggled for air, for _sanity,_ and finding none in the still unclear, stumbling eyes of his partner, he retreated into the simple. The given. “We should go to bed.”

Yuugi mouthed some word, some reply before the confusion hit his shock and mixed with it like oil on water, until something spliced through both and his eyes went _wider_ and dropped to the ground between them.

His face was burning, and Atem looked down, too, unable to look at it.

“Y-yeah, of course. Bed.”

Atem nodded silently, the motion as mechanical and wooden as Yuugi’s own words… and when neither moved, he added a flat, “Now.”

“Right…”

And still they lingered… the screaming need to _not walk away_ scrambling against the confusion that sloshed in Atem’s gut like motion sickness.

But if Yuugi ever lifted his eyes back to him, Atem didn’t know. Before he dared to check, Yuugi finally… _finally_ moved, rose and retreated to the apartment on quiet, bare feet… leaving the balcony door open behind him.

And Atem kept staring at the empty spot he left behind, sharply conscious of a sweat that had broken out across his body.

It would have been so tempting to remain, to shake and reel there on the ground, out of sight, where he could _try_ to _make sense_ of it all, unseen… but if he stayed behind too long, Yuugi might come back.

…

He scooped his dice up, pocketed them, and stood… followed in his partner’s wake.

There was nothing beyond the door but an unlit living room, his sleeping friends spread out across the carpet… and Yuugi’s lone, surely conscious form, already tucked in and still between Bakura and Jounouchi.

…If Atem stood there long enough, adjusted to the dark, he would surely be able to make out details. See if Yuugi was turned his way.

If he was looking at him.

…He stood there only a moment before shutting the door and retreating to his own futon… to the Puzzle, still resting on the pillow where he had left it.

He lay there, clutching it to his chest as he stared at the ceiling. Held it as he listened to the cars passing by, to the snores of his friends… strained to make out the breathing of his partner.

Strained not to think at all.

…

The Puzzle pulsed on against his chest, _nothing_ next to the pounding of his own heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Music:** [Bloodstream](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HAhQ9_0gkM) by Stateless
> 
> **[twitter](https://twitter.com/Phoebeus14) :: [tumblr blog](http://bitterseaproduction.tumblr.com/) :: [music](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z) :: [ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/phoebeus)**


	10. Monday, June 22nd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has a very direct reference to [Breaking the Mold](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11028036/chapters/24578556), so keep that in mind!
> 
>  **Music:** [Morning Passages](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB0sXWwH_eA) by Philip Glass

_“Whoo,_ no cheap discount bentos for me today! You’re the best, Bakura! Getting stuff from your kitchen is like getting to eat like a king!”

“Haha, it’s really nothing, Jounouchi-kun. If you wanted me to make you a home bento before, all you had to do was ask. I would have said yes anytime.”

“Be careful, Bakura-kun. If you offer something like that, Jounouchi will instantly take you up on it and expect the same everyday.”

“Hey! Stop acting like I’m taking advantage of him or something, Anzu! –And stop discouraging him, that sounds _awesome!”_

“How is that not proving my point?!”

“Are they like this every morning?”

“We don’t usually walk together _to_ school,” Honda answered Otogi instantly and easily… even as his head kept tilting to the side so that he could eye the two behind them.

The gathered friends were walking to school together after their long weekend at Bakura’s, but they had strung themselves out pretty loosely along the road due to their varying strides and energies: some rushing ahead, some hanging back… and the shortest two of the group were trailing behind at quite a distance. And no matter how Honda strained to hear what _they_ were saying over Anzu and Jounouchi’s banter and Otogi’s comments, he couldn’t make out a thing.

But if Honda had been closer, he would have realized Yuugi and Atem weren’t talking at all.

Their friends’ squabble echoed back at them amongst a spray of outside noises– passing cars, people talking, some distant construction, the whole lot of it hummed in the narrow distance between former vessel and spirit. A mere few inches marked one bent elbow from the other, the hand Atem wasn’t supporting his duffel with stuffed in his pocket, Yuugi’s own two gripping the straps of his school bag. Clenching them, really, as he kept his face turned forward… but his eyes kept skimming to his right.

To Atem.

He wasn’t looking back at him, though. Atem was glowering hard at the sidewalk, as if caught in some deep, troubling thought, not even aware of Yuugi and his staring… so, it was perfectly natural for Yuugi to trip a little when Atem suddenly shot a glance his way.

And if Yuugi instantly dodged _his_ gaze– that was just ruffled shock.

Even when the shock wore _off,_ though, Yuugi couldn’t bring himself to look back… even as he felt Atem’s eyes burning on his cheek.

Even as he spoke.

_“Aibou?”_

“Ah… yeah?”

“It’s fine. You don’t need to look at me like that.”

Yuugi grimaced, face heating with the proof that Atem had noticed because _of course he had._ They… they hadn’t had a moment alone since they got up that morning, everyone too focused on cleaning up their weekend mess, eating breakfast, and prepping for the school day to notice Yuugi quietly tossing glance after uncertain glance at his lookalike as they went about their business… but _of course_ Atem himself noticed!

Thus called out, Yuugi finally looked at the other, uncertainty hanging in his eyes even as Atem smiled for him– even as he broke their gaze again himself to face forward, his expression… draining, eyes caught on some far-off point. On some horizon Yuugi couldn’t see– even as he recognized that focus itself all too easily. “I didn’t mean to surprise you like that… but you really don’t need to worry about it. It was an impulse move, and I won’t do it again if it bothers you.”

Yuugi pressed his lips together against a would-be, sharply frazzled outburst.

To hear Atem talk, you’d think they were speaking of some sort of nervous tic or something!

And– and honestly… it was never _what_ Atem did that mattered. It was… it was how he had _looked_ at him when he did it.

It… it was…

…

But Yuugi didn’t know how to say it. Couldn’t even focus on finding the words to try when his mind fogged over with the slowly rising realization that… that Atem hadn’t– denied anything. Hadn’t even… even _excused it._

He was just… trying to let it go. As if… as if that was all he _could_ do, because–

Yuugi gulped, and followed Atem’s example. Faced the street ahead and… and tried to answer, even as his mind raced a hundred miles an hour in the other direction. “I’m not worried or anything.”

“You’re not?”

Yuugi shook his head, glowering at his other self’s quiet, flat, _unconvinced_ tone. “No, of course not! You didn’t do anything wrong, I just–”

_–!_

Yuugi stopped, eyes wide and blind, every muscle in his body, every _limb_ frozen stiff.

Es… especially… his hand. The hand pried gently away from his bag strap.

Into Atem’s grasp.

Caught, but cradled, just… just like how Yuugi had held _his…_ last night.

He didn’t dare even _twitch,_ but he turned his head, just a bit, to look at Atem. So that he could see him– turn his blank, struck gaze _on_ him.

But Atem was already looking away, the _opposite_ way, frowning a frown that made Yuugi’s swirling guts crash and drop. Before he could react, Atem let go of him, stuffed his hand back into his pocket, and started forward again.

_Away_ from him. 

“Sorry, that was uncalled for.”

“What, it– no!” He couldn’t think, didn’t even have _time_ to think, but perhaps that was for the best. If Yuugi had stopped to think about it, he might not have actually rushed to catch up, grappled for Atem’s wrist, or slid his grip down to his hand when it came loose from his pocket. He might not have ended up standing there, in broad daylight, holding the man’s hand as he insisted, “It’s fine, _mou hitori no boku!_ It– it’s fine…”

The last words came out so quiet that they were practically a whisper… but everything else around them was a hum, too, as Atem stopped. Stalled, went still… and didn’t pull away.

Just turned around on slow, stiff feet, and looked back at him… his gaze just as lost as Yuugi’s.

Just as confused.

Just as breathless as he looked down at their caught hands… and then slowly back up– at Yuugi.

So confused.

And Yuugi had no answers for him. He had no idea what he was doing, either. But… but, he found that he really wasn’t troubled by that. He was confused, too, that was true. But he felt no fear or alarm for the feeling that beat in his chest as he stood there, caught in the twin traps of Atem’s warm hand, and soft, puzzled eyes… eyes that asked what he was doing.

Yuugi didn’t answer. He just held on, pressed his fingers into the center of that rough palm until… until slowly… _slowly,_ Atem’s fingers folded around his, too.

And a shiver crawled up Yuugi’s spine, old and new and chilled and so, so sweet.

“Hey!! Yuugi! Atem!”

Yuugi jerked back.

His hand was free and his face was burning even before the voice fully registered, but conscious recognition prompted him to trip around a once again stiff Atem to holler back at a waving Jounouchi, “W-what is it?!”

“Come on, guys!” his best friend cried, his voice sharp, impatient, and clearly ignorant of what had just been happening. His view, it– it must have been blocked by Atem’s body, and– “I had to double back when we saw you were missing! Come on, we’re going to be late! You want to try and jump the gate or something?!”

“–You should go.”

Yuugi blinked, everything moving too fast for his shaken mind to keep up with, but still– two seconds late, he jerked about to see Atem stuffing his hand back into his pocket and walking _away,_ the direction they had just come, and– “What– what are you–?” Yuugi swallowed, grimacing. Damn it, his voice was _way_ too strained there!

But it seemed like his struggle was worth _something_ as his other self stopped and gave a quiet little chuckle, looking over his shoulder to shoot him a smile– a soft thing that made Yuugi’s stomach turn with warmth and suspicion both. “I need to get back to the shop. You go on ahead. Jounouchi’s right, you don’t want to get locked out, do you?”

“No, but–”

“Guys!” Jounouchi called, cutting into Yuugi’s protest and making him flinch with his scattered focus. “What’s up?! Is everything okay?!”

“Yeah, we’re fine!” Yuugi insisted, his head whipping back and forth between the two. “I’ll be right there!! I just have to– w-wait–” he finished quietly as he turned back, making the retreating Atem stop again as he asked, “Can we… talk after school?” Yuugi felt his own throat close up as he asked, but the idea of Atem walking away like _this–_

Yuugi swallowed his tension as Atem looked back at him again, expression… solemn this time, completely still even as a frenzy of emotions played across his eyes… but just as the pressure in Yuugi’s gut felt like it was too much, something gave in Atem’s face– and he nodded. “After school.”

Yuugi didn’t know a person _could_ relax and tense at the same time, but it sure felt like he did both as he nodded, mumbling a “Good… good…” as he stared at his own feet… only to throw himself headfirst into turning around and running after Jounouchi. “I’ll… see you later, then!”

Atem didn’t answer… but he was still there. Yuugi saw that when he glanced back just as he reached his best friend. And after he finished assuring Jounouchi that he was good, that Atem just needed to go back to the shop, and they should hurry and run to catch up with the others? Just as Yuugi turned a corner some blocks ahead, he glanced back one more time…

And Atem was still there, watching him go.

* * *

“What’s your hurry, huh? The shop’s not open for another hour, there’s no need to rush!” Sugoroku laughed, pausing his sweep of the front step as his adopted temporary family member made for the household door. “Come on, tell me what you were up to this weekend! Hanging out with your friends, and Yuugi– and a sleepover with a _girl_ present to boot! You think I’ll accept ‘it was fun’ and leave it at that?”

“I’ll be happy to share the details,” Atem assured, managing at least a twitch of a smile in the face of the older man’s good humor. “But I should put up my bag and change first. I can always tell you more in the store.”

“Right, right,” Sugoroku allowed with a sigh. “There’s always the quiet hour before lunch kicks in…”

Atem knew he should reply at least _somehow,_ but… but he didn’t want to press his luck. Sugoroku didn’t seem suspicious yet, and with something of a half-opening before him, Atem took it, heading into the house while the older Mutou was lost in thought about the day’s likely activity.

Coming inside, he heard Yui moving about inside… and shut his mouth against the impulse to call out his entrance. Instead, Atem moved as quietly as he could to remove his shoes and climb the stairs, bypassing the open door of the family room as quickly as possible.

She didn’t catch him.

Less than a minute later he was upstairs, the bedroom door shut behind him, an empty room before him… and he was _finally alone._

And for a few seconds he just _stood_ there, taking in the solitude… and then, slowly, he lifted his hand and stared at it.

The hand that had been holding his partner’s less than an hour ago… and last night.

If he concentrated, he could _still…_

Atem’s jaw started to ache from the clench of his teeth, and he countered the pain by clenching his hand.

What had he done?

The thought had been beating through his head all night, louder and louder and clearer with every minute, and every time he looked up that morning to find Yuugi there, _staring_ at him but refusing to meet his eye? That question had screamed anew in his ear, because–

What had he done?

 _Why_ had he _done that?_

He knew why, of course, at least on a purely logical level. Atem had been too caught up in his own head, the things he had realized too raw in his thoughts when Yuugi touched him, and… and he had had no time to build up a front to his reaction to that. He had just… acted.

And now his partner _knew._ There was _no way_ Yuugi hadn’t guessed something of the truth, and Atem knew himself well enough. If Yuugi asked him about it, confronted him directly? Atem wouldn’t be able to lie… and he couldn’t avoid the issue _now._ Yuugi would… Yuugi would _know…_ no, likely _already_ knew.

And he… _he had…_

Atem opened eyes he didn’t remember shutting to stare unseeing at his partner’s desk as he thought, because… what did Yuugi think?

He had… humored him, at least. At the very _least_ Yuugi hadn’t pushed him away, wasn’t put off or anything, that much was clear. He was… _trying…_ and… and back there, Atem could have _sworn…_ Was it… was it _nerves_ or the _idea_ of it all that had made Yuugi blush, and look at him like that? Or…

…

But he was troubled, too.

Even if he had seen Yuugi _blushing_ back there, his partner was… was nervous around him now, and _uncertain._ Uncertain how to face him. Uncertain how to _deal_ with him.

The thought rolled in Atem’s stomach and threatened bile beneath his tongue.

He swallowed back the reaction with a grimace and an angry thought as he moved further into the room, tossing his duffel onto the bed before slumping down beside it… staring at his own hands.

What did he _expect_ Yuugi to do, exactly? Push him away and turn his back in anger or disgust? _No,_ however he might actually feel, Yuugi was never cruel. And it was in his nature to reach out, not push away. Even… even if Yuugi recovered from his shock only to find himself uncomfortable with this, he would do everything he could to… to make it right. Hide his distress in favor of fixing this.

And Atem couldn’t stand that. Couldn’t stand the thought of his partner hiding _more_ pain and worries for his sake, and– and if Yuugi did do that? Buried his true feelings? Atem would never even be sure of it. Yuugi… he could be so hard to read when it came to something he didn’t want to trouble anyone over. He wore his heart on his sleeve, but a smile over his tears. And if he grew upset over this, he’d do that _now_ for sure… for Atem… He was just that kind, and considerate, and…

Atem’s fingers caught tight in the fabric about his knees as he looked up, his eyes finally focusing again as they caught on a picture, sitting on his partner’s low bookcase… a picture of Yuugi smiling between Anzu and Honda, caught under Jounouchi’s arm.

It was taken nearly a year ago, last summer, well before Atem had started properly talking to him… but still he smiled at it. At the memory of that happy, simple joy ricocheting through that soul, not a single complication or bittersweet strand of emotion present to sour the moment.

Yuugi was so _happy_ then… and he had looked so happy last night, with _him._

Atem had underlined what they were, made Yuugi smile, only to… and how could they ignore this? How could he expect Yuugi to _forget_ what he did, and not think about it? Go back to that ease they had just found?

What would happen to them now? To them and their… bond…

And…

Atem breathed in a tight, struggling breath, and dropped his gaze back to his hands, suddenly sharply aware of his own skin. Of… of his own _hands,_ and what they could touch.

What they _had_ touched.  

…

What… what if… what if Atem was wrong, and Yuugi’s shock _didn’t_ turn to distress? What if his partner actually _didn’t_ mind, and… and his blushes, and his glances, and his _grip,_ it all meant… it all _actually_ meant…

…

Atem wasn’t sure why it occurred to him, or why it seemed the best, most logical thing to do in that moment, but all the same, as he struggled to find some steady ground for his heart? For _something_ to distract him from dangerous, flailing hopes?

His gaze caught on a long, bright tin box tucked into the bottom right corner of that bookcase… and he went to it.

He had never touched it before, but knew well enough what he would find inside. It was a box of memories, after all, not secrets, of things Yuugi _wanted_ to remember. And so, Atem remembered, too. And as he opened it up, a splash of nostalgia probably _too_ personal washed over his heart for the things inside. Little bits and knick-knacks that would likely mean nothing to anyone else…

A handful of old ticket stubs Yuugi’s grandmother had kept from their earliest trips to the movies, passed on to Yuugi after she died, stuffed in a basic cheap ziploc bag.

A little handheld game, gifted to and then handed back broken by Anzu back in grade school.

A red glove with a clunky wristband with a bunch of golden stars stuck in it.

A pack of birthday cards all tied together, sent by Yuugi’s father, one for every year.

And a bunch of other things, but the cards were on top, since the latest was sent just a few weeks ago, and Yuugi had made a point to put it away as fast as possible, lest it get lost or thrown away.

But… but what Atem was looking for was just below it, added only a few months ago.

Just a tiny slip of paper, white, folded down the middle, but… but it was special, because it was the only thing in the box that was solely _Atem’s._

Even if Yuugi was the one who wrote what was on it.

Atem pulled it out– gaze catching and hanging briefly on the solved white puzzle just below it before he shut the box and put it back, leaving only the piece of paper in his hand… which he unfolded after a long, hesitant pause.

He didn’t really need it. He had memorized the little note long ago, but… but Atem still found himself leaning against the side of Yuugi’s desk, eyes catching on the familiar script, and reading the sweet words all over again.

_Mou Hitori no Boku, I never expected to find someone like you, but I am so happy that I did. And I just wanted to give you these to say, I really liked making them with you. Which isn’t any surprise, because I like doing anything with you, but I just wanted to let you know. And to say, let’s just keep doing stuff like this, and spend every day we can together, okay? Because nothing could measure up to the time I get to spend with you._

The note Yuugi had left him on Valentine’s Day that year, when he made treats for all of his friends, Atem included.

The chocolates that had come with the note were long gone, eaten well before White Day approached and Atem returned the favor with a gift and sentiments of his own, but… these words remained. The _feeling_ remained.

And Atem remembered the feelings that had struck him when he first read it– as bittersweet as the chocolate that had come with them. But… but Yuugi had just smiled for him, and never spoken of the note.

It had said all it needed to on its own.

He had just… Yuugi had treasured their time together, the same as Atem, and knowing that had been _all_ Atem needed, and… and that was what they had _already, now!_ At… at least until yesterday, before… and then Atem, he…

Atem rolled his jaw, grimacing as he let his hand, note and all, fall into his lap.

Had he… messed up?

“Atem-kun, are you– ah, there you are. What are you doing down there?”

Atem looked up to find Yui in the door, staring at him.

He flattened his expression into nothing as well as he could. “Reading. Sorry, am I late coming down? I’ll change and be right there.”

“What? Oh, no, we’re still not opening for a while.” Yui frowned, glancing over Atem and around him as if in search of… _something,_ though by her continued expression, she didn’t find anything. “There’s a phone call for you downstairs.”

“For… me?”

“Yes, long distance, too. Overseas, I think. The operator said it’s a call from an ‘Is-tar’ something from Cairo, Egypt.”

Atem’s brief, honest surprise fell back into guarded calm in an instant. “Ishtar?”

“Yes, I think so. Will you come take it?”

Atem glanced down at the paper in his lap… and folded it back up as he stood. “Yes, I’ll come.”

He left the note on Yuugi’s desk.

* * *

Yuugi couldn’t stop staring at his hand.

Around him his class was taking notes, staring off into space, or looking at the blackboard as the teacher droned on with his history lesson, but– but Yuugi was barely even conscious of that, because without his friends or the movement of settling into class, there was nothing left to distract him from the thoughts in his head. He… he didn't even have the suspicion that he was off base or imagining things anymore, like he did last night, because… because _this morning_ Atem had…

…Well, honestly he hadn’t done much of anything. _Yuugi_ was the one who…

...But that was neither here nor there.

The point was, Atem had… he had… _they_ had…

Yuugi shut his eyes, just long enough to shake his head a little, then looked down at his notebook, took up his pencil… and stared at nothing.

Still thinking about it.

They had just been _talking,_ then Yuugi had nodded off, and when he woke up and saw Atem was upset, Yuugi had reached for him, the same as always, and… Okay, not the same as _always,_ but they…

Yuugi gulped a bit, grimacing as he felt heat rise in his cheek, praying there was no visible flush.

Okay, but _still,_ they touched all of the time now. Or, well, not _all_ of time, sure, but _still!_ It wasn’t rare enough to be weird on its own… But then Atem had _looked_ at him and… he buzzed. Yuugi’s skin had _buzzed_ while their hands touched, and… and his whole _brain_ had buzzed just from… from seeing Atem _look at his mouth_ and–

And he was definitely blushing now.

Yuugi shook his head, then– then turned to the opposite page in his notebook, blindly drawing a quick Sudoku game and filling in some random numbers before starting to try and solve it properly.

It wasn’t enough to quiet his thoughts, but as they raged on, he slid through them naturally, half-numb to his own emotions.

The fact remained– the same moment had been on repeat in Yuugi’s head since last night. He hadn’t slept much at all, replaying that moment over and over until it was burned into his mind… that _glance,_ and Atem’s following run from it.

And then just _now this morning–_

…He didn’t know what was happening.

What had _happened_ to them? What had changed?

…Nothing. Nothing had changed.

Nothing had… really been different.

He wasn’t sure what was going on in _Atem’s_ head, what made him _look_ at him like that last night, or that morning, if he _actually…_ but Yuugi wasn’t blind. He had seen it, and he was sure of it. Atem… he had stared at his mouth. Had reacted to Yuugi touching him, and… and _returned that touch and–_

…But he had thrown up his walls, too. Atem had called an end to that moment on the balcony before it even really began, and… and on the walk to school, he had tried to dismiss the whole thing, tried to make some sort of ‘point’ by touching him, only… only for the whole thing to repeat again when _Yuugi_ touched _him._

He had reacted, yes, but Atem didn’t… whatever he was thinking, or feeling, he didn’t seem to… want to share it… and, on top of that, what about all of the things he said last night?! About not understanding _these_ kinds of feelings? H-how could Atem be thinking anything like _that_ if he–

–Yuugi blinked, and looked down at his foot.

A pencil had rolled into his toe… with an apple shaped eraser on top that he recognized.

He looked up to see Anzu looking back at him over her shoulder.

She made a vague gesture at her face, but it was her troubled eyes that made her question loud and clear.

Was he okay?

Yuugi couldn’t help it– he grinned, the pleasant shock of the concern buoying his smile long enough for him to give her a convincing nod, which Anzu mirrored back at him before facing the front again, before the teacher noticed.

But as Yuugi leaned down to grab the pencil, his expression slid back into nothing again… and then down lower, into a quiet distraction. He turned the pencil in his hand, looking at the eraser… considering the one who had tossed it at him.

How crazy was that? _Anzu_ of all people asking Yuugi if he was okay, as he tried to sort out his feelings for–

Yuugi shook his head, then took a second look at his Sudoku game… then snorted as he set aside the pencil.

There were two sevens in the same line from the start… He had set up an unwinnable game.

But it didn’t really matter, because no matter how he tried to keep his mind off of this, he still… he still couldn’t run from it.

From what _he himself_ felt.

Whatever _Atem_ was thinking, Yuugi had felt that buzzing in his _own_ gut when they touched, and Atem looked at him, all on his own… and it had been shocking largely because it wasn’t _un_ familiar.

It was… it was terrifying how _not_ unfamiliar it was.

It wasn’t about feeling a new sensation, but being suddenly conscious of an _old_ one, staring it in the face and feeling it straight on after… after a week of little touches shocking him and leaving him dizzy and Yuugi had just blamed it all on the sheer _weirdness_ of his other self being solid flesh, and– okay, _yeah,_ his other self was… really _amazing_ to look at at times, there was nothing weird in itself about noticing that. And it was… it was _nice_ when Atem touched him, but Yuugi had put that down to an interest spawned by the _weirdness_ of this whole situation, and… But, that shock had _worn off_ really fast, and… and the weird dizzies had only gotten worse.

And it… wasn’t just this last week. He had just said it, hadn’t he? To himself. It was familiar, and it was as much the way Atem _looked_ at him as the touch itself, and Atem– he had always looked at him like that.

Or, not _always,_ but… but going back a really, really long time… and it had made Yuugi feel like… like _that_ for a long time, too. But all of that? That feeling of his other self smiling, so warm and proud and delighted and bright with fire and focus and– and all of that _Atem-ness_ of his? It had never been _right there_ before! Right in his face, and before Yuugi couldn’t–

Yuugi sniffed, squeezed his eyes shut, opened them again, but… but even as his face and palms warmed, he couldn’t run from the thought.

Because _before,_ he couldn’t… couldn’t _feel_ Atem. Couldn’t touch him and– and didn’t know he _could_ touch him, if he wanted to, and… and that knowledge? It was… it was too… too similar to the sweet dizziness that always came with Atem’s smiles and praise and sheer presence, and… Yuugi didn’t know what to do with that.

Yuugi… turned his eyes back on his own hand, and closed it slowly, imagining _his_ still there, caught in his grasp, that cheek at his fingertips, those eyes he had stared into, and…

His stomach floated on air.

The same as always.

Only now he thought about it… and it terrified him.

It wasn’t normal.

But… but he knew that much all along. After all, Atem was his _other self!_ They shared a bond Yuugi had never known before, so of _course_ he felt things with him he didn’t feel with anyone else! It just followed! It– it was never something he needed to think about before! Why… why _would_ he try to understand something so… one-of-a-kind…

…But now… he had grounding in that feeling. The natural warmth of a solid, real person who he could touch. _Had_ touched. Had… _felt_ things while touching… And _that_ feeling, it… it wasn’t so unique. Honestly, it wasn’t all that different from what he felt with Anzu or… or with others, if only in passing. But _those_ feelings had all been a pleasant hum in his belly and a rush of blood to the face, whereas this _roared_ in his ear, and…

…And this was crazy.

And even more than that, Atem was a _guy!_ And yeah, sometimes Yuugi _did_ note a guy was particularly pretty, or nice to look at, just like a girl… and that was always a bit weird, and he didn’t like to linger on those thoughts much. Didn’t like to consider what might be involved if he _ever_ seriously considered a guy like that– the added obstacles to the already colossal concept of _liking somebody._

And– and he had never _had_ to consider this before, because he had never _liked_ one guy in particular before! Not– not like with Anzu!

And did– did he actually _want_ that… with…

…   

…And besides all of that, Atem was not just _any guy!!_ He was his _other self!_ His partner! The one who once shared his memories and his body and his very name! His other half! His… even knowing who he _really_ was now, Atem was _still_ a part of him, and quite literally up until a week ago! And they wouldn’t even have long to get _used_ to this new norm, because Atem was leaving! Yuugi was going to lose him and– and…

…

Yuugi leaned back, let his eyes slide to the window… not seeing a thing as he considered the one part of this whole thing that truly wasn’t new at all.

All… all too familiar…

…

But that was neither here nor there.

It didn’t matter. Atem leaving had nothing to do with what Yuugi… _felt_ … for him…

…

Yuugi shut his eyes, and breathed out.

No hint of shock in his heart.

Just… just, a surrender.

…

But… it really, really didn’t matter what he thought, or what was to come. None of that changed the answer to all of this, and as terrifying as it was, there _was_ no other answer for all of this. This wasn’t just a crush on a suddenly present _friend,_ or the confusion of a bond too unique to understand. This… this was… Nothing else could explain what Yuugi felt back there or… or all along… save for his feelings for Atem _not_ being that simple… or as unique as he thought.

…How though?

 _How,_ if this wasn’t just Atem’s _realness_ confusing things, but something much deeper, that went back much, much farther… How had he not _noticed?!_ Was he really that blind to himself? That _deaf_ to his own heart, and–

“Mutou-kun!”

“Ah–” Yuugi jolted up– and flinched, sitting back down hard as his knees screamed where they had just hit the underside of his desk. “Y-yes?”

“I know there might be something very interesting outside that window,” the teacher allowed, not an ounce of sympathy in his glower. “But I would appreciate it if you _kindly listened_ when I’m speaking to you.”

“Y-yes, sir…”

 _“Good._ Now, if you would all turn to page ninety-one, you’ll see–”

Yuugi quickly shifted his book to the top of his desk pile and turned the pages, taking up his notes… careful to keep his eyes on the page as he came to a conclusion to his own thoughts.

He just needed to talk to him.

That was all there was to it. He wasn’t going to get _anywhere_ wondering and wondering on and on alone like this, and he was scared he would just… just convince himself of something that wasn’t even _true,_ thinking about this all on his own! One… one way or another… he could still somehow be _wrong_ after all. If not about his own feelings, then…

…

…He just– needed to talk to Atem. Be honest, and say he was confused, and that he didn’t know what to think, or what he wanted, but that there was _something_ … something there that wasn’t anything Yuugi had ever felt for someone he saw solely as a friend. And… and it wasn’t just that they were partners, and he… he wanted to understand it. What it meant. What he should _do_ about it. If… if under the circumstances, they _should_ do anything about it.

He wanted to know if… if Atem really did feel it, too.

He… _had_ to, right? Yes, Atem had… he had seemed so confused yesterday, about this very thing. Acted like he’d never… but he had still been caught up in that weird moment, the same as Yuugi. No, he had _started_ the whole thing, holding onto him like that, _looking_ at him like that? They had never lingered in their stares like that _before_ when they touched, so… and they had _both_ reacted to it! Both tensed and stared last night, and there on the street that morning, the air crackling between them.

So… so Atem _had_ to feel it, too… right?

…

He… Yuugi had to know.

He– he had to be sure that it wasn’t just _him_ feeling these things. That he wasn’t wrong or tricking himself somehow.

Even if the thought of asking made him grip the edge of his school book until his hands stopped shaking.

They would work through it, though.

Whatever it meant, however lost Yuugi felt, and whatever Atem might feel about all of this, he was _still_ his other self. They had gone through worse than this, after all, and Yuugi… he trusted him.

So they would figure it out.

Yuugi could be brave for him, and for himself. Face it with Atem…

They would face it together… just like with everything else.

Just like always.

* * *

“Yes… yes… I will do that. Thank you for covering the costs, it means a lot,” Atem said into the Mutou house phone, marking a few more things down on a notepad Yui had passed him in the middle of the call… keeping his face turned down towards the paper, away from the woman.

“It is the least we can do, my pharaoh. It’s only right that your friends should all be able to come with you.”

“Atem,” he corrected without much thought, marking down and… after a hesitant moment, underlining a date and time.

“Of course, Atem–” Isis corrected herself, a smile bright and clear in her voice. “You’re right, after everything, it _is_ only right to use it… But yes, we can go over the full details once you are here, and I can share some things with you face to face, but I will contact you again while you are in Domino. I have to arrange your identification and passport, after all, and then the flight can be set for certain. I don’t foresee any issues with presuming the date, though.”

“Is that a prophecy, Isis?”

The woman chuckled a touch before answering, “Not at all, just a logical presumption.”

Atem’s lips twitched, though a proper smile never touched his face… much less his eyes, as he focused down on the paper, and the date. “Thank you for going out of your way to arrange all of this.”

“Not at all. It is my duty, and I am happy to do it. And it will be good to see you again– along with everyone else.”

“Likewise. Say hello to Malik and Rishid for me.”

“I will, thank you. Until next month then, Pharaoh Atem?”

“Until then.”

Atem heard the other line cut off just as he put down the phone himself, and he stared at the receiver for some moments, the words echoing back in his ear.

_Next month._

“So, that’s it, then?”

Atem turned around– stared uncertainly at Yui, still focused on folding clothing at the family room table. “What?”

“Your trip home.” She folded what looked to be the last of Sugoroku’s shirts, then set it aside in favor of pinning a steady stare on Atem. “That was you arranging your trip home to Egypt with your friend there, right? Your… ‘crossing over’ as _Otou-san_ put it?”

“Yes,” Atem confirmed, turning his back on her under the guise of picking up the notepad. “I will take the Millennium Items back – this Puzzle, and the others – and put them to proper rest.”

“Along with yourself.”

“Along with myself, yes.”

“I see.”

Atem nodded, his mind so caught on the stated facts and the details summed up in a few bullet points on a piece of paper, that… that it was some moments before the present caught up to him enough to prompt a blink, and slow, baffled glance at Yui.

She had just used her _mom_ voice on him.

She didn’t look up at first, having moved on to folding some towels into a basket, but after some moments she noticed his silence and looked up… right into his stare. “What?”

“You just… what did you mean by that?”

“Mean by what?”

“By– the way you said that,” Atem grimaced, straining to keep his confusion from making his tone sharp with his partner’s mother as he waved vaguely between them. “Asking about me going.”

“I didn’t mean _anything_ by it,” Yui insisted, glowering a touch as she whipped another towel out flat, Atem’s efforts at lightness apparently in vain. “I just wanted to confirm that yes, _indeed,_ getting rid of those ‘items’ and that demon that’s inside one of them means you are going, too.”

That wasn’t quite right. Technically, Zorc was in at least two of them– or maybe not, Atem wasn’t certain how the defeat of Zorc back at the museum affected that.

And really, it didn’t matter. Yui likely didn’t care about details like that. But… but the fact that she cared at _all_ surprised him, left Atem uncertain as he confirmed, “I… it does.”

“Alright.”

One simple word, focused down at her laundry… and yet Atem felt, _awkward,_ like he hadn’t satisfied her somehow. And he found words spilling out of him, explanations Yui had never asked for. “I am tied to the Puzzle, so if it goes, it only follows… I’m only here in the first place because of some fluke. I should still be _inside of it,_ because… I _died,_ and the only reason I’m here in the first place is I needed to stop Zorc.”

Somewhere along the way, Yui stopped folding. She stalled with a dish towel on her lap, hands still, eyes focused on Atem, steady and calm, but… but then, when he finally _stopped,_ she looked down again, folding the cloth. “And so you did.”

Atem watched her work, the motion of her hands folding it _just right,_ tucking the edges under the way she always did… there was something oddly comforting about it, among it all. “…He’s still in there. He won’t be gone until the Puzzle is.”

“And you think when the Puzzle goes, you go.”

 _“Yes,”_ he insisted, a fire he hadn’t noticed building in his gut finally rising up, lighting each word ablaze, even as he never raised his voice. “I’m _dead._ I’m not meant to be here. I– I belong wherever this takes me.”

Those were the facts. What had been true all along, even before Atem knew it, and… and…

“I see.”

Atem opened his mouth, a frustration rising up to demand _what did she want from him,_ but… but there was something oddly tired beneath Yui’s steady gaze, and as she rose with her full laundry basket, she left out a sigh that threw all that Atem knew off-kilter again. “Well, if that’s how it is, that’s how it is. It will be surprisingly sad to see you go, but if you are going where you feel you belong, than I wish you well for it.”

Atem opened his mouth… and shut it again.

It wasn’t that simple.

But… but how could he say that? How could he explain that he was torn between two forces pulling him in opposite directions with all their might? He was _finally_ getting a chance to leave, fulfill his destiny and find himself, take his place at the end of this twisted road and see friends he had lost and forgotten. He might even get back the memories he was denied the first time around!

But… but that all meant straining that opposite need to stay. To remain. To be with the friends he knew _now,_ and the family he was just beginning to know, and the skin and the days and the life he was just getting used to, and… and the partner he already knew like the back of his hand, but who had just made him see parts of _himself_ he barely understood, and–

“Atem-kun?” He blinked, turned his head as he realized Yui wasn’t at the couch, where he had been staring, but standing in the doorway… looking straight at him.

She didn’t ask, but the question was clear enough in her eyes… along with the concern.

…He couldn’t tell her. Not any of it.

She was… she was a good person. As kind as his partner, in her way. And if she heard anything but acceptance from him, she would worry. Be dismayed for him. And she didn’t even _know_ him! Not… not like _him._

_…_

He _had_ to leave. He knew that. Fate and destiny and security and his own basic need for identity _demanded_ it.

So… so what good would come from not embracing that?

From not fully, _openly_ embracing that?

From… building up new reasons for regret…

“…Nothing,” he finally said, shooting her the best smile he could. “Thank you.”

* * *

Yuugi stood in the doorway staring at the back of Atem’s neck a good thirty seconds or so before he finally worked up the courage to walk inside and speak.

“Hey!”

Atem instantly looked up, but instead of immediately turning around, he put some slip of paper in the book he was reading, then shut it. Only _then_ did he swerve around in the desk chair and smile at him. “Welcome home, _aibou.”_

“Thanks!” Yuugi answered with a grin, anxiety and anticipation both clearly warring across his face as he shrugged out of his bag and set it at the foot of his bed. “Sorry I’m so late, I had clean-up duty after school, and I couldn’t find anyone to sub in for me.”

“That’s alright. I was in the shop until half an hour ago, anyways.”

“Right, right, you would have been unavailable…” Yuugi agreed on a distracted mumble… gaze caught completely on the man lounging before him with an unhurried, yet somehow still expectant glint in his eye. The sight of it made Yuugi roll on his heels and stretch into a turn towards the bed, sitting on its edge as he focused on wiping his hands on his pant legs. “So um, about this morning? And… and last night?”

“Right,” Atem breathed, almost as if to himself, and… so quietly that Yuugi froze, raised his eyes to stare uncertainly at his other self– and watch him frown at his own hands. “I wanted to say I’m sorry for that.”

“–It’s fine!” Yuugi flushed as he heard the volume of his own voice, especially when his other self flicked surprised eyes up at him. “I told you already, _mou hitori no boku,_ I’m not–”  

“No, that’s not what I meant,” Atem corrected, expression hollowing back out to the same quiet calm as before. “I just mean… I was overwhelmed. I still get like that sometimes, since I have my own body now, and– and we can touch.”

“…Me too,” Yuugi mumble, eyes dropping down to his own lap with the whisper, just as Atem’s own expression flickered. Something– something not dissimilar to the rush of feeling that had struck him out on the street and Bakura’s balcony flashed across his face… and then it was gone, the light in his eyes dimming as much as it had sparked just a moment ago.

And he dropped his eyes for a moment, breathed… and raised them again, his composure back in place.

“What I meant was… I would have never let myself act like that if I had stopped to think about it.”

…Yuugi… looked back up. Not a thing changed in his wary, uncertain expression from a moment before.

Save for the question there in his eyes.

Atem ground his teeth around the words he struggled to say, then finally sighed them out, voice… surprisingly gentle around his quiet insistence. _”Aibou…_ Do you remember what I said before? About ‘movie love’?”

Yuugi’s cheek twitched a tic, but otherwise… “Which part?”

“The part about how I feel more than satisfied with what I have, even if I haven’t known _that_ in particular,” Atem explained… only to get silence in reply. Yuugi understood, he was sure of that much, because… because there was no confusion or hesitance in his eyes. No understanding or dread or even resignation, either. Just… just the gaze of a player experienced enough to recognize the moves already unfolding before him, out of his hands.  

Atem’s heart beat his sympathy.

“I still think that,” he breathed… falling into a consolation smile as he admitted, “And I know Honda means well, truly, thinking I should consider it more. But I don’t think it would be _wise_ to consider it seriously… for myself, at least.” His hand twitched on his leg, fingers raising towards his partner– only to fall back less than an inch from his skin. Yuugi probably never even saw it. “Not now.”

The room… fell silent. Atem staring expectantly at Yuugi, Yuugi looking right back… both expressions completely blank.

“…I see,” Yuugi breathed, eyes dropping back to the floor and freeing Atem to properly emote again, brow furrowing as he frowned, and– and searched in vain for a reaction from his partner, tense with dread of what it might be.

But it was… it was just like with Yui. Yuugi barely reacted– and Atem found himself talking.

“I don’t mean I wouldn’t want to–” Yuugi’s eyes raced right back up to his, wide and sharp with focus, and Atem choked on his own words. He looked to the side, clearing his throat to cover the wash of dizziness that hit him, and glowered at his own struggle… only looking back when he could soften the expression and look at his partner gently. “I just mean… I spoke to Isis today, and it looks like I will be leaving before August after all. July 24th, just after your summer term is over.” Yuugi’s expression flickered, caught on some– some reaction, only to reset back to nothing but pure focus, the boy staring unblinking as Atem _strained_ to smile through that wall. “And it made me think about this weekend, and how happy I was, and how I really am thankful for my friendship with everyone, and I just… You were right. I would rather spend every chance I get this next month celebrating _that,_ because _that_ is what would make me happiest in the end.”

He smiled like it made his teeth hurt, and Yuugi… Yuugi just stared right on through it… until Atem couldn’t take it any longer, his true uncertainty starting to crack through.

_“…Aibou?”_

Yuugi blinked… then smiled, so fast it was like a switch was flipped somewhere. “Yeah! Yeah, of course… I’m glad you feel that way. That you enjoyed the sleepover, and want to do more stuff like that. That you’re enjoying your time so much with us.”

Atem echoed the stiffness of Yuugi’s earlier expression in his shock, not reacting or saying a word in answer. But Yuugi didn’t seem to mind. He just kept on smiling and talking, looking _right at him,_ and– and yet– “Everyone will be happy to hear that, and me too. I’m glad we can spend this time with you, and that you don’t think you’re missing out on anything.”

Yuugi’s grin spread wider with the last, even as Atem opened his mouth to say something, only to choke on it… and in his struggle to recover, Yuugi found an opening to rise to his feet. “And while I’d love to hang out right _now,_ I should probably go take my bath before Mama calls us down for dinner. I have a lot of homework to do tonight, after all. It’ll be good to be free to focus on that until bed, without any interruptions.”

“That’s a good idea, but–”

But… what? Atem had spoken out without thinking, the words the only thing curbing his impulse to reach out and grab the edge of Yuugi’s shirt as he passed right in front of him.

And Yuugi paused at his words, one hand already on the drawer of the chest beside the desk as he looked down at him… right _within Atem’s reach,_ but… “Yeah?”

Atem… stared up into those expectant, _opaque_ violet eyes that he knew so well, and loved, and… turned away. Back to his book, reopening it with numb hands. “Nothing. I forgot.”

“Ah.” Even with Atem’s eyes off of him, Yuugi offered only fogged smiles, and even those only briefly as he focused on getting fresh clothes from the drawer. “Well, if you think of it, let me know.”

Atem didn’t answer. Or nod. Just kept his faced turned to his book as Yuugi moved about beside and behind him… left the room without another word.

…Distantly, he heard the bathroom door close, and water start running.

…Gently, hands shaking just slightly, Atem pulled the little slip of paper out of the book, and set it carefully aside on the desk.

Task thus done, he closed his book again… and _threw it._

 _The Rise and Fall of the New Kingdom_ slammed into the wall and toppled down onto the bed, but Atem didn’t watch it fall. He kept facing the desk, fingers clenching its edge as he looked down.

Down at the Puzzle hanging around his neck.

Glaring so hard his eyes watered.

* * *

Yuugi held his hand under the water, testing its temperature… then looked up and stared at the door.

Something had just thumped somewhere. Hard, and loud.

…The seconds ticked by, and no sound followed… so he let it go. Focused on the motions– on checking the water, laying out his fresh clothes on the counter, stripping his current ones and tossing them in the hamper, gathering his personal shampoo and washcloth from the closet…

Finally, he sat down on the stool, the shower head already running in his hands, the water warm and ready for him to scrub down in preparation for his soak.

…But he didn’t move.

Yuugi just… sat there… perfectly still… smiling.

Smiling, as tears ran unchecked down his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Music:** [Already Gone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FbZvDba6ew) by Sleeping At Last 
> 
> **[twitter](https://twitter.com/Phoebeus14) :: [tumblr blog](http://bitterseaproduction.tumblr.com/) :: [music](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z) :: [ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/phoebeus)**


	11. June 23th - 25th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! Would you like another chapter? Because this _was_ going to come out in a few days, but it turns out that it's the birthday of a certain someone named [Sally Vinter](http://celepom.tumblr.com/)! And it seems only right to offer this up as an early present given [this artist](http://celepom.tumblr.com/post/167037296597/i-know-i-already-posted-the-first-page-by) and [Tarashima](http://tarashima.tumblr.com/post/167042120877/read-from-right-to-left-gaaah-i-did-not-mean-to) both surprised me with **amazing artwork** for the last scene last chapter!!
> 
> Heartbreaking, aren't they?
> 
> Thank you, both of you amazing peeps, and a second big horrah for [Katy](katyanoctis.tumblr.com) who helped me edit this thing!
> 
> And happy birthday to Sally!!
> 
>  **Music:** [Lavender Town](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-lMF3UoMOo&t=76s&list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z&index=18) by Lucas King

“So is… the answer negative nine?” Honda tried, squinting with his own uncertainty as he looked up at his friends.

But Anzu didn’t even glance up as she answered, already focused on the next question as she said, “That’s _one_ of the answers, yes.”

 _“One_ of… so there’s two?”

“Of course there’s two. It’s an absolute value function.”

“Well, _yeah…_ but… what’s the other one?”

“It’s sixteen.”

Anzu finally stalled her calculations long enough to look up, shocked that the one who had answered in her place was– “Jounouchi-kun, you solved it that fast? That’s actually pretty impre…” She trailed off as she realized where Jounouchi was looking.

Right at her worksheet.

She slammed her elbow down over it as she glared at him. “Stop copying off of me!”

“I’m not! I’m just supplying answers to the others off of you.”

“That’s worse! It’s bad enough if you want to skip studying yourself, but you shouldn’t drag the others down with you!”

“I’m still not sure how you got that,” Honda mumbled from between them, scratching out a couple lines of work.

Anzu sighed, and – after turning _over_ her worksheet – faced Honda. “Here, I’ll show you… are you two doing okay, Bakura-kun? Yuugi-kun?”

“We’re fine!” Yuugi assured, shooting her a smile from his end of the kitchen table. “We’re on question seven already.”

“Wow, awesome! So you figured out the last one on your own?”

“Nah,” Bakura admitted, offering her a serene grin as he confessed, “Jounouchi told us the answer, too.”

…Anzu turned ice blue eyes back on the blond.

Jounouchi was too busy to meet her gaze, though, inspecting the magnets on the Mutou refrigerator… and calling out to the person who walked into the room at just that moment. “Hey, Atem! What’re you doing? I thought you were going to hang out with us!”

“What’s he gonna do?” Honda snorted, dropping his pencil only to shoot his best friend a bemused look. “Watch us do homework?”

“I agreed to help out late in the shop while you study,” Atem explained, shooting Jounouchi a smile… that faded into nothing as his gaze slid slowly towards his partner. No expression really replaced it as he looked at Yuugi, but Jounouchi still found himself stalling just before speaking, his mouth snapping shut as he glanced curiously from one ‘Mutou’ to the other.

Anzu, Bakura, and Honda all quickly mimicked him… but Yuugi didn’t notice. He was still focused on his worksheet, erasing some answer to replace it with new numbers.

But as the silence dragged on, he finally stalled… and glanced up… flicked his eyes from one friend, to another… then finally to Atem. He stared back at the hard-faced king, his face blank one moment too long… before he offered the other man a soft, curious smile. “What’s up?”

Atem’s mouth, already thin with silent strain, tightened a breath more– then relaxed as he asked, “Did your mother say what we’re doing for dinner? She usually starts prepping the food by now.”

“Yeah, but she said she was short on vegetables,” Yuugi answered– so casually, with an ease that knocked his friends out of their mutual tension, leaving them blinking confused and uncertain as they glanced at one another, as though to confirm their brief alarm hadn’t been just _them_ in the first place. “She went to the store, and the lines are probably bad right now, so who knows how fast she’ll be back.”

“We… didn’t mean to put your mother out, Yuugi-kun. We can always move to the living room,” Anzu slid in, voice hesitant with the awkward sense that drawing her friends’ attention away from each other would be infringing on… _something._

But no, Yuugi just shook his head, not a hint of the oddness they all felt within his smile. ”Don’t worry, she’s just making stir-fry. If we can finish up in the next half an hour or so, we’ll be out of her way for sure, even if she does miss the crowd.”

“I’ll get out of your way, then,” Atem said, his flat expression as impassive as his partner’s smile as he bypassed the table– briefly opening the fridge to pull out a bottle and tip it in their direction. “I just came in for a drink.”

Yuugi offered no reply save a simple hum as he focused back on his worksheet, but Jounouchi tossed out a “Make sure you get off in time to play a game with us later!” that Atem answered with a wordless thumbs up, tossed over his shoulder as he left the kitchen, never looking back.

“I wonder how long his shift actually is,” Bakura mused aloud… covering the quiet Atem left in his wake as the three friends all frowned their own disapproval.

Jounouchi frowned at the king’s retreating back as he disappeared into the hallway.

Anzu frowned at Yuugi, his head already bowed over his worksheet again.

Honda just… frowned at nothing... only to stand up a bare two seconds later. “I gotta take a leak.”

* * *

“Hey, Atem.”

Borrowed studded boots stalled, and Atem turned around just halfway down the hall between the house and the shop. He’d recognized the voice instantly, so there was no shock to disturb his usual, sharp gaze as he looked back at his friend, his free hand resting on his hip as he asked, “What is it, Honda?”

The approaching teen opened his mouth– only to stumble for sound at the blunt, knowing look in those deep red eyes. Their attention made Honda grimace, and while he _did_ speak up, he did so while frowning at the wall over Atem’s shoulder. “I just wanted to know, did something happen? I mean, it might not be any of my business, but you’ve been acting weird today… you and Yuugi both.”

“Weird how?”

“I don’t know, just…” Honda shrugged, shifting on his feet before stuffing his hands in his pockets and bracing his shoulders with defensive stiffness. “Like you’re both keeping everybody at arm’s length in your own ways, you know? And not just with us– with each other, too. And since this is the first time I’ve had a chance to see you properly since the sleepover, I just wanted to make sure I didn’t– I don’t know, _screw something up_ or something. You know, with what _I_ said.”

He managed to spout out his last words with a far more direct gaze, but even though Atem didn’t look away, Honda couldn’t read much in his face. Whatever cards he was holding close to his chest, apparently Atem wasn’t ready to share them, even with his bluff called out. He just… stared back at him for a long moment… then finally turned his head and frowned down the hallway, towards the kitchen. “I don’t know what to tell you.”

…A ‘there’s nothing wrong’ or ‘it wasn’t you’ or ‘I’m fine’ should have gone there, Honda was sure of it. Heard it in Atem’s voice. And yet… he didn’t say it. Just stared at him like _he_ was supposed to say something, and Atem was waiting for him to just _say it already_ so that he could make his own move. Trigger some trap.

Honestly, if this was even _half_ of what it would feel like to duel the guy, Honda was glad he’d never tried.

Thankfully, he at least had enough sense to not walk _knowingly_ into that mess– or to force an answer Atem didn’t want to give. If he wanted to keep whatever was going on in his head and between himself and Yuugi private, then– “Okay,” he eventually answered, giving a nod to nobody before scratching the back of his neck as he turned to go. “Sorry for bothering you, man.”

“…The way you said that.”

Honda didn’t even make it two steps. He paused with his foot just barely into the second, and turned back to the face the one who had spoken.

But Atem wasn’t looking back at _him._ He was staring _beyond_ him, his expression completely void as he eyed the hall over Honda’s shoulder and asked, “Then it _was… aibou_ who you were thinking of? When you said that at Bakura’s?”

“–Ah, shit.” Honda followed his gaze and eyed the hall himself, skin suddenly itching from imagined, prying eyes and pricked ears. But no one was there, and he could just barely make out Jounouchi and Anzu’s voices in the distances, muffled by two or three layers of wall, so he turned back to Atem with a weary huff and confession. “I was trying to avoid that– you know, mentioning him specifically. It’d suck if I was wrong, after all, and I didn’t want to make things weird, or cause pointless trouble for you two, but… _yeah.”_ Atem’s general questions after that movie had given Honda the idea to actually _say_ something, sure, but it was _Yuugi_ who actually made Honda think he should say something at all– who made him actually _look_ at the two and consider them. Together. Yuugi himself… and the way Atem _looked_ at him, like he’d like nothing better in the world than to just keep his eyes locked on him for the rest of time.

That might not be as straightforward as the half a dozen breathless, starstruck looks Honda caught _Yuugi_ shooting the pharaoh, but still… Atem didn’t look at any of the _rest_ of them like that!

And sure, it might have all meant nothing, but when Honda just _thought_ about it? Yuugi stumbling towards some revelation, Atem not understanding the concept enough to get there _at all,_ the two of them edging towards some understanding at a snail’s pace with Atem leaving right on the horizon? It all just screamed of a collision course with trouble in Honda’s book. And he didn’t want to see that… but it looked like his plan to make Atem think about the matter without planting his _own_ suspicions in his head had been pointless. Honda sighed with the failure of it– only to start and turn wide brown eyes back on the pharaoh, because– “Wait, the way you said that just now… You put it together on your own already?” _He_ sure hadn’t mentioned Yuugi at all, so–!

Atem turned his attention down to his drink, popping the top off as he nodded once. “Aa.”

Honda wheezed out a long breath and deflated into relief, grinning with the weight of _that_ off of his back. “Oh, okay! Good! Then I…” But, as the thought sunk in, context quickly followed, and his expression faded into stunned uncertainty.

Atem just stared right through his astonished gaze, his open drink left untouched in his hand as he asked, “What made you think that?”

“Huh? What– what do you mean?”

“About us… _aibou_ and I. What made you think there’s something like… _that_ between us?” Even the indirect illusion seemed to trigger something, and even though Atem had been looking back at him all along, suddenly Atem was _actually looking at him,_ and Honda’s mouth felt like it had shrunk around his tongue, and there was no room to move it as he took in the raw regret in his friend’s eyes, the twist of his mouth and teeth as Atem fought to maintain outward calm around asking, _“What did I do?”_

…When he actually _tried_ to open his mouth, Honda’s jaw unhinged just as it should have, but still he found he had nothing to say. But Atem– his open, uncharacteristic show of anguish deserved so much more from him than silence, and at the very _least_ direct honesty. So Honda… he shook his head, and offered his friend what little he had. “Nothing, man. You didn’t… _do_ anything, it was just– nothing specific, just…” He could only shrug, meeting Atem grim gaze for grim gaze. “Just– the way you look at each other, I guess. The way you act and smile and stuff together. From where I stood, it just… it looked like somebody in love to me.”

 _Two_ somebodies, to be exact.

And it was such a given in Honda’s eyes, that answer… and yet, something shifted in _Atem’s_ eyes. Honda couldn’t say if that was good, or bad, for the pharaoh’s deep red eyes had fogged over again, and when his gaze shifted back to the wall, his thoughts were clearly somewhere far, far away… or perhaps caught somewhere deep within himself.

But that left _him_ with nothing, and when the quiet dragged on eight, nine seconds, Honda finally had to ask, “Are you cool? I know it sounds pretty lame when I say it out loud like that–”

“I’m fine,” Atem answered before he could even finish, gaze still elsewhere… but it shifted back to him after another couple of seconds, and that thoughtful, vague frown Honda knew well was back on his face as he nodded. “Thanks for telling me.”

“…No problem,” Honda offered, squinting as though _that_ would help him see pask that familiar mask.

Atem didn’t even acknowledge it, though. Just took a long belated swig of his drink and turned away, continuing his trek to the shop. “I’ll see you after work.”

“Sure…” Honda watched him go… frowning the whole time because, even after all of that, he hadn’t gotten the one thing he had come there for.

_What had happened?_

…He sighed, and turned back the way he had come.

Tempting as it was to follow, ask more questions, or even turn to _Yuugi,_ Honda had to admit it: he’d pried and meddled enough as it was, and he really knew more than he needed to already. _Something_ was going on, he was sure of that much, and at the very least, he could walk away certain that _ignorance_ wasn’t part of the problem.

And if Atem – or Yuugi – wanted to open up and ask for more, that… was really just their choice.

He’d have to leave it to them.

* * *

“Atem, you don’t need to do that. Just wait until we’re closed and I’ll have Yui bring out the vacuum.”

“I’ve got it,” the man who had once ruled a kingdom and defeated a millennia old demon insisted, his words muffled as he practically punched at a wall corner with his hand duster. And his efforts _did_ manage to dislodge a cluster of gritty bunnies… but with nowhere else to go in the tiny space between the floor and the bottom shelf, they flew right into his face.

Even with a cloth tied over his nose, he hit his head on the wood, coughing.

“What did I tell you?” his company huffed somewhere above and behind him, just before a thick pair of hands caught him under the thighs and dragged him out from under the shelf. Atem flinched and grimaced as his apron caught on the concrete and his shirt rode up against his belly, the wrinkles biting into his skin as he came back out into the light– and into sight of a frowning Sugoroku. “What made you think cleaning that up with the dust right in your face was a good idea? I told you we could just wait for–”

“If we wait for Yui, and then for dinner to be over, we’ll have to leave all of this out overnight,” Atem argued, pushing himself up onto his elbows– to discover Sugoroku offering him a hand. He stared at it for a good two seconds… before finally accepting it, mouth set flat and tense as he got to his feet.

Sugoroku handed him the Puzzle, and and he accepted it with a mumbled, “Thanks.”

“And so what?” the older man said, not even acknowledging Atem’s quiet words. “The world's not going to end just because we leave a few boxes out in the storage room overnight. Go on, you should be getting back to Yuugi and your friends! We can take care of the rest of this in the morning,” Sugoroku reassured… but Atem failed to return his smile… and before long they were both frowning again, Atem at the piles of boxes scattered around their feet, and Sugoroku… Atem couldn’t prove it, since he didn’t look up, but he was still sure that the man was glowering at _him._

In the end, Sugoroku just sighed, and when Atem glanced back up at him, he was shaking his head. “If you're that worried about it, you can go ahead and finish up in here on your own. It's usually slow this time of night anyways, I can handle the shop on my own,” he allowed, turning for the door without waiting for a response he was pretty sure he would never get, anyways. “Just come out when you have everything set straight to your liking!”

Atem didn’t respond to the allowance or the subtle jab,  his eyes caught on the dusty cover of an old game board sticking out of one of the fraying boxes… But when Sugoroku's footsteps faded away and he found himself alone? He yanked off the duster and face cloth and dropped them on the floor, sending another cloud of dust flying as he glowered at the mess around him.

Atem had jumped on the chance to clean out the room when the shop proved to be dead, the silence dangerous and threatening when all he wanted tonight was a distraction… but now, his shift was nearly over, his mind was still infested with thoughts he just couldn’t wipe out, and… and he had thought he could at least makes sense of _this_ – a neglected shelf with rampant dust – but no, he was forced to walk away with a mess in his wake.

What exactly was he doing with himself, anyways?

He knew there was nothing else to say, after all. Nothing left to clear up… and yet…

“ _\----!_ ”

…What?

Atem turned and stared out of the open door, listening.

He couldn’t make out any of the words being tossed around loudly in the other room, but that _voice_.

He abandoned the boxes and went back to the shop.

“…want to go into your house, either, but if you don’t call him out, I can’t–” The sharp voice cut off the second Atem stepped through shop’s back entrance, and the two… stared at one another, confusion shifting to mirrored shock.

_Kaiba._

And for a moment, Atem wasn't in the game shop, but a painted, stone room, long and large and full of people, the first and foremost among them a man with a tall blue hat and blue garb and familiar blue eyes smirking up at him.

But _this_ man wasn’t smirking, or smiling, and Atem wasn’t certain he even _saw_ him properly. He looked more like he was staring right _through_ him, and–

“Yuugi?”

Atem blinked, tugged his eyes off of Kaiba, and… and his world shifted back to the four walls around him when he saw _Mokuba_ looking back at him. “Is that… really you? Or I mean, _not_ you?” the boy corrected, his gaze sliding to the top of Atem’s head– and sticking there with a twist of his nose.

Atem grit his teeth against any impulse expression and reached up to tug off the second cloth that had been protecting his hair… There was a spider web stuck to it. He let it stick to his hand, reluctant to draw enough attention to wipe it off.

He was starkly aware of the dirt on his face and the turtle smiling back at them from his apron.

He looked at Kaiba, expecting some comment… but he just kept _staring_ at him, like what he saw just didn’t make sense.

“No, this is not Yuugi,” Sugoroku supplied, cutting into the silence before it could actually drag on. The man was leaning on his counter, elbows against the glass, and he was eying Kaiba with an irritation thinly layered beneath a soft calm– a faint smile over hard but easing eyes. “So if I can repeat my earlier question? If you _are_ looking for one of my boys, which one do you want? Yuugi or Atem?”

“Then, it’s _true_ then?!” Mokuba yelped, eyeing Atem with eyes as wide as saucers.

Atem just frowned. “What do you–”  

“Hey, Atem! Anzu’s headed home, but Yuugi wants to play Risk. Are you gonna come back in anytime soon, or should…” Jounouchi said as he came through the back door, trailing off as he realized who else was in the room… stalling for all of two seconds before snapping, “What the hell are _you_ doing here?!”

And finally, Kaiba seemed to find his voice, even if it was just to snort and sneer at the newcomer, life returning to his features as he looked back – and down – at the blond. “That’s none of your business– and I could ask you the same thing. Even in Yuugi’s own house? Are you _never_ underfoot around him?”

_“Why you–”_

“Hey, why are you yelling in the–” Honda came up short just behind Jounouchi, back straight and stiff with shock and the effort not to run into him.

Three figures trailed in behind him, all staring with the same surprise. Anzu, Bakura, and–

“Holy cow, it _is_ true,” Mokuba breathed, looking from Yuugi… to ‘Yuugi’ in disbelief. “There… actually _are_ two of you.”

Yuugi followed his gaze, and Atem looked back, and for the briefest moment there was something other than shock in their eyes.

Then Yuugi looked back at the unexpected visitors, confusion taking over. “Mokuba-kun? Kaiba-kun? What are you–”

“What is all this noise back here? I told you kids to keep it down while the shop is–”

A tenth person joined the little crowd, but this one remained hovering in the doorway, filling it up with an arm’s full of groceries as she looked at the two visitors.

Expression completely blank.

“Ah, Mama?” Yuugi tried, waving vaguely towards two brothers even as his mother failed to look at him. “This is Kaiba Seto, and Moku-”

“I know who they are, dear,” Yui interrupted, voice coated in a sweetness that earned no reaction from most of the group, but Sugoroku’s brows rose as Yuugi and Atem tensed in recognition. She smiled down at Mokuba. “And if that young man would like to stay and shop, that would be fine, but I’m afraid the other one will have to leave.”

Kaiba… slid slowly into a frown. “What?”

Yui shifted her smile to him, the thick coating on her expression making Atem grimace and look searchingly at his partner. Yuugi could only look back, just as lost as he was. “Yes, I’m afraid you need to leave. We reserve the right to deny service where we deem necessary, so I’m going to have to ask you to go.”

“I… think he came to talk to us,” Yuugi tried, earning a short, flat glance from his mother before she looked right back at their guest, all fronts and smiles gone from her hard eyes.

“If you wish to speak to the person who nearly killed your grandfather and gave him a heart attack, that is your choice, Yuugi-kun, but I won’t have him on _Otou-san’s_ property.”

“What– that– _Jii-chan?”_ Yuugi tried, looking plaintively to the man this was all about.

Sugoroku merely shrugged, a sage acceptance on his face as he put out both hands in apparent surrender. “If those are your mother’s feelings, Yuugi, I wouldn’t feel right overriding them.”

Somewhere behind Atem, Jounouchi snorted.

He didn’t look back at him though, shifting his focus back to Kaiba, wondering what he would do. Atem _wanted_ to talk to him, but if he fought Yui on this and caused trouble for the Mutous–

And Mokuba certainly looked askance – and guilty – but the elder Kaiba? He just stared right back at Yui… then turned tail and walked out, not a word spoken, Mokuba right at his heels as soon as he noticed.

They all watched the exit for a good three seconds before Jounouchi finally broke the silence.

“That _worked?”_

Atem didn’t wait for anyone to reply. He followed.

Half a minute later, he was standing in front of Kame Game with Jounouchi and Yuugi at his side, his other friends hanging back a few paces as they all faced the brothers, who stood before their long sleek car.

“Sorry about that, but– why are you here, guys?” Yuugi was asking, glancing uncertainly from one Kaiba to the other. “It’s good to see you both, but I thought you were in America working on Kaibaland.”

“We were,” Mokuba supplied, his bright smile at the mention an honest relief to the group in the wake of the tension they had just left behind. “But we got a call from Isis last night about– well, ‘Atem’ here.”

Isis?

Beside him Yuugi shut his mouth on a sharp inhale, and Atem frowned, mind already whirling. Because _of course,_ Isis had said she would do what she needed to to smooth his way out of the country, and she would likely need someone with inside knowledge and resources _in_ Japan to do it. And if _anyone_ had the power to arrange that–

“She asked you to set up my passport,” he surmised, crossing his arms above the Puzzle. “So that I can go to Egypt.”

“Yeah, which is really stupid,” Mokuba observed, snorting with an eye roll. “Seto and I could get you to Egypt anytime you want, no passport required.”

“But I’m not going to act as your chauffeur anytime you want to cross borders,” Kaiba added with a crisp disapproval. “Still, I have to ask– why do you think I’d break laws and come back to Japan just to hand over some falsified paperwork to you?”

“I didn’t ask you to do anything,” Atem retorted, choosing to ignore the argument ‘you came back to Japan just to _ask_ ’ in favor of admitting, “I do need them, though, so if you _can_ make them–”

“Can and will are two different things,” Kaiba interrupted, meeting him stare for stare… until a voice edged into the conversation.

“Um, not to change the subject,” Bakura said with an apologetic smile, raising his hand in a small wave as they all looked to him. “But, aren’t you at all curious why Yuugi-kun and Atem-kun are separate now?”

“Isis already said it was something with the Millennium Items and spirit that was in that Ring you wore, but it doesn’t matter.” Kaiba’s expression slide back into its default frowning disinterest as he glanced from Atem… to Yuugi. “That’s the one I have a loss to repay with, and that’s the one I don’t. And that’s as much as I need to know. The details don’t concern me.”

Atem wasn’t certain what expression his partner made, since he didn’t look. All he could see in his periphery was the slow, loose clench of Yuugi’s hand.

Atem kept his eyes on Kaiba, though, narrow and sharp and protesting. _“Aibou_ has always been part of our battles, but this has nothing to do with that.”

“So you say,” Kaiba retorted, expression not shifting even an inch with the argument. Apparently, he found it too predictable to bother with. “But that’s exactly what I’m here _about.”_

“You said you were here about the passport.”

“That’s what _you_ want out of it,” he countered, the faintest smile touching his face– a look caught somewhere between that last glance Atem remembered from Battle City, and his far more familiar leer. “But, even if I was willing to let our battle go until the expansion plans in America were set, that doesn’t mean I’m going to let a chance slip by. If you want something from me, Y–”

He stopped.

His expression blanked out… and silence fell across the group as they all took in what he was clearly about to say.

Even Jounouchi didn’t say anything.

And after a second, Kaiba recovered himself and glared his challenge right at him– at Atem. “If you want it, you’re going to have to win it.”

* * *

“So, this is _good,_ right?”

Atem’s brow creased with the question– and then he dismissed it, focus snapping forward as a machine gave a loud _pow_ and something shot straight at his face. He aimed, swung, connected with the ball just in time– but it hit the net off to the left, yards away from the home run target. Atem breathed out a silent, tangled frustration, and answered Otogi without looking back. “It’s straightforward enough. If I duel Kaiba tomorrow–” Another ball shot. Another swing. Another off-hit, and another frown. “And win, he’ll arrange my passport and any other legal identification I might need.”

Another shot. This one he missed entirely, and he grit his teeth against reacting… and against the pain shooting through his head.

“I’m honestly shocked he agreed to wait that long,” Jounouchi mused somewhere behind him, beyond the safety net that separated Atem from his friends. “I thought he was going to make you face him right then and there in the street yesterday.”

“Why _didn’t_ he, for that matter?”

“I said–” Atem answered Otogi, until to cut himself off. Swing. Grimace. “I was working, and it was almost dinner time.”

“And he _accepted_ that?”

“Not until I promised to face him tomorrow, before he goes back to America.”

Another ball came sailing his way, and as Otogi started to ask, “Does that mean you’re still going to get to–” Atem missed again, and hissed out a gargled breath… and tensed as he realized Otogi had cut himself off, and no one was talking.

He chanced a glance back to discover everyone staring at him.

“Uh, Atem?” Honda tried, standing up from the metal wire table the group was sitting at, just beyond the batting cage. “You having a problem?”

“No, I–” He glanced back as another _pow_ sounded from the shooter, and side-stepped the batter’s spot, letting the baseball hit the net and bounce away as he focused on his friends. “I’m just having trouble concentrating.”

“In that case, why don’t you let me take a crack at it? I’m not the one who we’re all trying to talk to here.”

And with that – reluctant as he was to _give up_ before even managing one hit – Atem traded places with Honda, letting his friend take a turn at the bat while _he_ claimed his vacant seat, rubbing a corner of his brow as he settled down at the table with Otogi, Jounouchi, and his partner.

He wasn’t quite sure how they had ended up there, as baseball was never something he considered a personally fun pastime, but Jounouchi and Honda had latched onto the idea, Otogi had been up for anything so long as he heard about what he had missed yesterday, and since Anzu and Bakura were busy with their own stuff today, no one had protested. He and Yuugi had just gone along with it.

He and… Yuugi…

He dropped his hand and considered his partner, just there out of the corner of his eye and at the end of his elbow.

Yuugi was sitting just there, to his right, his own elbows resting on the table edge as he supported his chin with both hands and watched their friends, Jounouchi boasting to a scoffing Otogi that he could definitely hit three home runs in a row. There was a small, steady grin on Yuugi’s face as he listened, but… but it was thin, somehow. Forgettable, and easily lost, and his expression blanked out completely when he shifted his gaze and saw _him_ looking at his way.

The impulse to look away was strong and instant and undeniable, but Atem fought it. Stomped it down by staring right back at him– his partner. And Yuugi… showed nothing. Even when Atem looked right at him, and _knew_ that smile was false, he could see nothing beyond it.

“What?”

Atem shook his head, offered a dutiful, “Nothing,” and turned back to Otogi as he said his name.

“Atem, you didn’t answer me. Are we going to get to watch your duel tomorrow?”

“Yeah, if you like. I’m not meeting him until after five, at KaibaCorp so everyone will be off school and free to come.”

 _“Awesome,”_ Jounouchi said, his eyes glinting and smirk gleeful as he leaned forward on his arms. “Remember to tell Kaiba that if he wants a duel, we _have_ to be there, okay? And no ‘if we want to’ about it, or he might just lock us out at the last minute or something. And I’ve _got_ to see this.”

A layer of natural ease overlaid Atem’s forced calm as he shot the blond a small smirk. “If he’s set on winning this, I think he’ll want all of the witnesses he can get.”

“Pffft, like he _could!_ You’re going to wipe the floor with him and look amazing doing it! Just like always.”

And Atem had started to laugh, amused and grateful for the open faith… but the humor tripped on itself at those last words.

And Jounouchi noticed. “What?” Atem must have twitched or flinched or _something,_ because Jounouchi shifted from confused to incredulous in the space of a second. “Dude, you don’t think you’d actually _lose,_ do y–”

“I won’t allow myself to lose,” he assured, not even waiting for Jounouchi to finish… but still he frowned, glowered at some nothing just beyond his friend’s shoulder. “But it’s still different.”

 _“What?!_ Different how? I mean, come on! You’re not hung up on how he looked at you back at the shop, are you? You’re still you, we’re still here, and you still have the Puzzle! What’s different?! You can still win!”

“That’s not it,” he denied, mind sliding briefly back to the expression on Kaiba’s face when he first saw him yesterday– but Atem felt nothing but a numb sort of acceptance for that. “And it’s not about if I can _win,_ it’s just…” He was honestly _happy_ to have the chance to duel Kaiba once more, and he _was_ fairly confident he would win, because he _had_ to, but… but that necessity to win just mixed restlessly with this other feeling– this feeling that it _wasn’t the same._ Even if he had always taken a strongly personal, solo hand when it came to his duels with Kaiba, he had still… he had never fought him truly alone.

His gaze skipped to his partner.

And Yuugi didn’t say anything, but he saw. Violet eyes that had already been set on him went wide, froze– and stayed that way as Atem stared somberly back at him, and watched the understanding rise in his partner’s mind… Only then did Yuugi’s expression shift a little.  

And Atem still couldn’t see anything beyond it, but–

But he could feel the attention fixed on them both, and so he turned back to their openly confused friends, and shrugged. “I just wonder if it will feel the same.”

Jounouchi looked from Atem to his best friend and back with a quick, searching eye, then frowned. “Well, who cares if it feels the same or not? Just let loose! Forget all of the details hanging over it, and enjoy the rush of handing that guy his own ass.”

“Forget? I can’t do that. If I don’t take it seriously and _do_ lose–”

“Then you’ll try again!” Jounouchi all but snapped before suddenly relaxing back into his chair, crossing his arms with a snort and a smirk. “What? You actually think Kaiba would say _no,_ get on his plane, head back to America, and leave it at that? No way. He might _claim_ he doesn’t need to duel again if he wins, but trust me, he won’t be able to let it go if you challenge him and he walks away. It’ll haunt him, and that guy just can’t let sleeping dragons lie.”

Yuugi gave a quiet, weak sniff of a laugh, but Atem didn’t echo him. He was too busy taking in Jounouchi’s argument and… realizing he had a point.

Otogi didn’t laugh either, though… for his own reasons. “Was that supposed to be funny?”

“Oh, shut up! I’m hilarious.” Jounouchi aimed a loose punch at Otogi’s arm, and missed as the guy swerved. But the blond didn’t seem to mind, skipping a second attempt to grin at his best friend. “Oh, and Yuugi?”

“Yeah?”

“Your mom? She’s officially my hero.”

* * *

Two hours later, Atem and Yuugi were back in the later’s bedroom: Atem on the bed, playing; Yuugi at his desk, studying.

Supposedly.

Yuugi jotted something down on his English worksheet, unsure if he had just written ‘Jack went to the store for some milk’ or ‘Jack some store got at the milk.’ He would probably be sure if he checked his dictionary and sentence structure cheat sheet, but it didn’t really matter. He’d already accepted that he would be double checking and correcting this assignment before school tomorrow. Right now, it was just busy work.

Busy work to cover the fact that, even if he didn’t dare a side-glance, he was focused on Atem.

As always.

Whether Atem was in the room with him or not, Yuugi had thought about little else in the last forty-eight hours… or, at least the last _forty-four_ or so. The first few had been little more than a fog and a damp weight in his chest as he focused on keeping his reaction hidden from his other– no, from his whole family. He’d had dinner and done homework and played games and all of his usual evening stuff right in front of all of them and… probably been too quiet the whole time, but he’d gotten through it with little more than passing glances from his mother and grandfather. And even though he’d felt eyes burning on his face the whole time, Atem never said anything. Which was just as well, because it took all of Yuugi’s focus to keep a wall between him and his feelings, and if Atem had _said something…_

But… even so, Yuugi had gone to bed with that weight still there, still inside of him, and… and as he lay there, staring at the wall, painfully aware of the other _right there_ on the floor behind him? He had realized something.

It was pointless.

He could try and smother these thoughts and feelings now that they had nowhere to go, but they were _still there,_ and… and he had to deal with them. No matter what Atem said, no matter the fact he was _right,_ this weight was still Yuugi’s to live with, and he couldn’t get rid of it.

He could only try to understand it.

And so, he was trying.

But he hadn’t tried to hide away or anything to think it through. He’d gone about his day and lingered among the people he cared about, the same as always, but… but he wasn’t truly focused on any of it. He was in his own head, working it over, puzzling over every memory and thought and feeling he could recall related to his other self. They were all there, after all, inside of him, laid out in one long, single line of time and change. And _that_ was useless for his purposes– just a sequence of cause and effect and day-to-day life. Yuugi needed to tear those memories apart, piece them back together the proper way, and find the shape they made when he considered them all at once.

All… all of his feelings… as one whole.

It was just _hard._ So many things refused to be pinned down, left him flailing for steady ground, while others… others were easy to grasp, but so, so _much_ that when he added them to the bigger picture, and saw just… just a glimpse of _what_ he was truly dealing with?

It was dizzying… _intimidating…_ If he felt half this overwhelmed dwarfed by the pyramids when he finally got a chance to see them in person? He’d be shocked.

But he kept at it, and all the while remained… ‘drawn into’ himself.

And he knew everyone noticed, sort of. He was being too quiet, staying back one step too far from the conversations and people around him. But it couldn’t be helped. One way or another, Yuugi would be troubled, and he’d rather be distracted for _this_ than… than from just wallowing in it all. And thankfully, no one seemed to be _certain_ of his hidden mood save for… Atem himself… and while he kept eying him across the gulf separating them, he never tried to cross it– left Yuugi to his thoughts.

Even now, Yuugi distantly noted it– another gap of silence between Atem’s rapid button presses on Yuugi’s Game Boy.

He had to be looking at him.

Again.

But Yuugi didn’t look up… and after a breath, Atem returned to his game, and left Yuugi to his thoughts, his efforts to consider each of his recalled feelings, never trying to put a name to any one of them. He didn’t need to. He wasn’t looking for some sort of _revelation_ after all, because… because he already knew what the solution would be. He _knew_ what the answer was– had known ever since that weight crushed him two nights ago, with Atem’s bid to box this all away.

Which was his right. He didn’t owe Yuugi anything, after all. It was just… Yuugi wanted to understand. The whole picture _and_ every bit that made it up, because… because he would have to face it all _eventually,_ and… and even if he would just box it away in the end, too? He wanted to understand it while Atem was still there, beside him. He… he didn’t want to have to go through this completely, _truly_ alone.

Just having Atem there beside him made him feel brave.

And he’d done it, for the most part. He’d worked through most of his memories in the last couple of days, recalled his own actions and such, and now… now there wasn’t much left anymore.

He just– he kept _hiccuping_ when he considered this last week, and– well, the last few months.

In particular, how Atem… made him _feel,_ literally speaking.

He’d already liked him… _that_ way. Yuugi had pieced that much together already. Retroactively recognized the draw and nervous energy around his other self that had crept up on him long before Zorc gave Atem a body again. By the end, it was just _there_ on the edge of Yuugi’s awareness, pretty much… pretty much constantly… at least, when they didn’t have vengeful threats or fate breathing down their necks.

But… he… _that…_ did that draw _really_ translate to… If he _really_ thought about his reactions to Atem, was _that_ really what he…

Yuugi dropped his pencil and pressed his fingers against his cheeks and eyes, rubbing up against the sides of his nose with a weary sigh… only to reach down and pick up his pencil again when he realized the sounds from the bed had ceased again.

He feigned writing.

…The soft tap-tap of game buttons resumed.

And he– Yuugi needed to stop trying to break it down _that_ far. Needed to stop doubting himself. That part at least didn’t _need_ logic or details or memories to work out, after all. _That_ part was pretty simple, if he would just face it straight-on. He might try to wrap it up in pretty feelings and sincere feelings and troubled feelings, but it was all just so much more _visceral_ than that.

 _Did_ he find Atem attractive?

…Yes.

No– no, more than that, a _lot_ of people were _attractive._ Atem… captivated him.

_Why?_

He liked him– no… no, that was too small a word. Even _love_ was too small of a word. Or, no, not too small, but not all encompassing enough. Yuugi needed a whole _pile_ of words to describe _that–_ that… what he felt.

But the point remained. That pile of feelings gave _meaning_ to that attraction. Pile plus attraction equals _this._ Simple, easy to understand, clear.

But, _why_ did he, _Yuugi,_ find Atem attractive? They were different, especially _now,_ but still– shouldn’t it be _strange_ that he found his _other self_ attractive?

...No. It was the things about Atem that were _just him_ that charmed Yuugi, after all. Not the mirror.

The things that made him _Atem._

…He hesitated a long moment, but finally Yuugi dared to turn his head and _look_ at him.

Atem didn’t notice. He must have been in the middle of some challenging puzzle or fight, because his focus was soundly on the tiny black-and-white screen.

Which was just as well, because it gave Yuugi the freedom to relax and consider and look openly.

So he looked. Took in the profile, the air of the man sitting not five feet away from him, on his bed, back against the headboard and legs crossed so he could rest his forearms on his thighs as he played.

He was frowning, but it wasn’t a troubled look, like so many he had given in the last couple of days. He was just riveted by the game, and giving it everything he had– like he did everything that mattered to him. And it was such a slight shift as far as appearances went, but Yuugi… he saw the difference. Saw it, and where Atem’s distress would have infected him? That sheer, pure zeal pouring off of him then, even in that quiet, still moment? It milked at Yuugi’s tension, ebbed it away and left him floating until– until he went on with his calculated observation as if… as if he were taking it all in from a distance. As if he were considering his own thoughts in some sort of bubble, untouched and untroubled by the weight and meaning that would follow. All he needed to do was _look_ at Atem… and marvel.

Because he _was_ attractive– and attractive to Yuugi, to boot. And it was strange, because it wasn’t in any sense that he could quite pin down, or equate to his straightforward liking for soft faces and soft hands and soft curves when he noticed a pretty girl… or a pretty anybody. And, despite the fact he knew _objectively_ that _most_ people might find Atem appealing, that wasn’t… that wasn’t the point. Not to Yuugi. It wasn’t his eyes or his face or his body or anything. It was that it was _Atem. His_ face and his– just his general bearing, the very way he carried himself, his confidence that shone _and_ warmed, the _smiles_ he offered with those eyes and mouth, the way he used those hands– even now, agile and nimble and even graceful, just playing over a couple of buttons, and– and they weren’t soft. Yuugi remembered that. Atem's fingers and palms were rough, but they were also _warm_ and so oddly capable and careful when he touched him, and– and he smelled good. Yuugi had only had a couple of chances to notice, and logically the smell had to be his own soap and clothes, but it was true. And it was a weird thought, but– but it was one of the most _real_ things about his other self now, and Yuugi loved it. And now, and before? Atem was just so _expressive,_ and after all this time Yuugi honestly didn’t know where the physical reality ended and his lost spiritual awareness began, but still– everything that was Atem just _blazed_ on his face, in his eyes, and in everything. The glares and the smiles, the wonder of a stance and a look, the give of a wrinkle between his eyes or the pinch of his lips…

He was pinching them now, struggling through that game.

They were slightly chapped, those lips– probably because Atem kept forgetting to drink enough.

And the answer there was clearly some water, or lip balm, but all Yuugi wanted to do was reach out and touch them. Rub a thumb across the bottom lip and feel for himself. See if Atem would pinch them tighter, or soften… open his mouth and breathe over his fingertip.

What would that feel like?

And if he replaced his thumb with his mouth, then…

What would Atem do if he actually _did_ that? Came in close enough to touch him like that? Kissed him? Would he stiffen, pull away, or flush? Would his cheeks feel warm to the touch? His neck? If Yuugi pressed his face there, along the soft curve, would he feel the heat of Atem's flush against his cheek? Would his other self smell different if he _buried_ himself in Atem’s arms, discovered what his skin felt like against his skin, his lips, would–

Atem looked up, right at him, and Yuugi belatedly registered that he had sucked in a breath a little too loudly.

And when Atem furrowed his brow and pinched his lips again, Yuugi chuckled.

Laughed– at himself.

He tossed his pencil, abandoned his chair, and settled on the foot of the bed with a smile. “What are you playing?”

Atem blinked out of the confused frown that had taken over his face, trading it for a startled wonder… that softened as he looked down at his screen, and turned it for Yuugi to see.

He leaned in just close enough to look, and– the smile that curled at his lips ached at the corners.

_Pokémon._

The copy Yuugi had gotten a while back, just for Atem.

“I’m trying to force my way through the tower.”

“You look a little underleveled for it,” Yuugi observed as he assessed the Wartortle displayed at the bottom of the screen.

“I want that Haunter,” Atem insisted, tone and expression hard, stubborn– until Yuugi laughed, and stone cracked with a hint of a grin.

“Alright, I get you. Just make sure you get a Gastly and level it up, so the stats will be better,” Yuugi advised, grinning at the king, who smiled right back at him with a warmth and gratitude that made his chest feel heavy. He sat with it, though, pushed his focus elsewhere– onto the topic that had been hanging between them all evening, as yet untouched. “Are you feeling better about your duel tomorrow?”

“Yes.” Atem took the game back, staring at it as he sighed, tone allowing and bending with his own acknowledgement. “Jounouchi’s right, after all. It should be fine, even if it will be strange without you there beside me.”

Hearing it said out loud like that, directly, shouldn’t have had such an effect, but it did. Yuugi felt like the air flowed freer from his lungs the moment Atem said it, and he fell effortlessly into another grin. “What do you mean? I’ll be watching the battle alongside everyone else. And even if we can’t talk during, I’ll be right there, the same as always.”

And it would be different, he knew that. Knew Atem was right about that… but Yuugi wouldn’t let him say _that_ was different. That he wasn’t with him.

So long as Atem was there to be _with,_ that would never change.

And as if he had heard it all– not just the words, but the thought? Atem melted, a smile resurfacing as he mumbled, “Thanks, _aibou.”_

And Yuugi smiled his reply… and it would have been so easy to let the moment hang, but– but he could feel it there, just on the edge of that high.

That weight.

And so he broke their gaze, standing up. “I’m sick of worksheets. I’m gonna go grab a drink. You want one?”

“No, I’m fine… _aibou?”_

Yuugi stalled two steps from the door and turned back, taking in the oddly hesitant expression on the king’s face. “Yeah?”

“Would you help me _before_ the duel, too?” Atem asked after a long drag, hesitance and hope clear in his face. “I want to change a few cards before I face Kaiba, so I was hoping you’d go over the deck with me tonight.”

Yuugi… broke out in a grin lighter than anything he’d shown all night– no, in days. “Of course! I’d be happy to! You want to do it right away?”

Atem’s expression was beyond relieved as he beamed back at him. “Yes– just let me finish this battle and save, and I’ll get the cards out.”

“Cool– I’ll be right back, so get ready, Atem!”

“Aa,” Atem hummed as Yuugi raced through the door, watching him go.

…

His smile… slowly curdled.

His gaze was soft, but heavy as it drifted back to his game.

…

Outside of the room, Yuugi stopped just halfway down the stairs, shoulder digging heavily into the wall as he leaned against it.

He just… _stared…_ worn down… until footsteps made him jerk upright.

“Yuugi-kun?” It was Yui, stalling at the bottom step as she looked up at her son. “What are you doing just standing there?”

“Sorry, Mama! Just thinking,” Yuugi apologized, smiling as he came down and side-stepped her. “Is it okay if I take the last soda?”

“Yes, fine, I’m getting more tomorrow. Just drink it quickly! You don’t want it in your system too close to bedtime!”

_“Yes–!”_

Yui frowned after Yuugi as he went, hovered on the steps herself… concern plainly written on her face.

* * *

Atem was magnificent.

It was the only word it as Yuugi watched his other self duel.

His other self was back in his element, comfortable and shining in a way Yuugi hadn’t seen for a while outside of little highlights with their friends, when they were in the midst of a good game or a lively hangout. And even _those_ were just snapshots. _This_ was one long reel of Atem smirking and calculating his way to victory, _alive_ in the best of ways, even when Kaiba had him on the ropes– no, _especially_ then.

And Yuugi knew he wasn’t the only one who noticed. All of his friends at stopped and stared and smiled when they saw Atem walk up to KaibaCorp, his recent norm of shop-appropriate clothes tossed in favor of familiar leather and gold over bare arms.

Even _Kaiba_ had looked relieved when Atem walked in without that turtle apron.

The man’s subtle joy had been tossed aside for rapid falls from seething triumph to raging defeat, though, as Atem countered Kaiba’s apparent winning attack with a Quick-Play Spell.

“Dedication through Light and Darkness! Dark Magician becomes the _Dark Magician of Chaos!”_

“What– Dark Magician of Chaos is still too weak to stop my Blue Eyes!”

“Not if I play _this–_ Rush Recklessly!”

_“What?!”_

“My monster gains 700 attack points until the end of this turn– and that makes it strong enough to defeat your dragon and _wipe out the rest of your life points!”_

Kaiba gave a yell Yuugi couldn’t understand because he was too busy calling out his joy with the rest of his friends, and getting his head caught in a happy armlock by Jounouchi– and he grinned into his friend’s sleeve as he watched Atem speaking to his opponent.

He’d won! He was going to get his…

Yuugi’s smile fell just a touch before he caught it, and held it in place.

And he did so, _successfully,_ even after he and his friends stalled their celebrating long enough to climb down from the observation deck of Kaiba’s private arena to join the duelists– and discovered Mokuba there, too, giving voice to the sudden tension hanging in the air between the two rivals.

“Wait, this isn’t– You’re not asking for a passport to visit Egypt and find something?! You’re going to– to _go?!_ Like, _permanent,_ can’t-just-fly-out-to-see-you go?!”

Atem didn’t answer. His back was to them, but Yuugi could read the tension in his back, and the clench of his hands.

Ironic, given Yuugi was looking _right at_ Kaiba’s face, and he honestly didn’t know what the man was thinking in that moment.

He was just… _staring_ at Atem, nothing clear about his reaction beyond shock.

He didn’t know. Isis didn’t tell him.

And even with no reason visible for it in Kaiba’s face, Yuugi… he couldn’t help it. Couldn’t help the empathy that struck him in that moment.

Then Kaiba turned his back, snapped out a dismissal of some sort, said he would get the passport and such to Atem soon, and walked away… leaving Mokuba looking uncertainly between the pair, and Atem– he just… stood there a long moment… until Anzu’s quiet call got him to turn.

“Atem-kun?”

He turned, looked back– at him.

Not them. _Him._ Stared at him like… like he was bracing himself for… something.

And Yuugi… kept smiling as he closed the distance between them, and raised a hand up above his head.

“Congrats, Atem.”

And the greatest trial of all was the look in Atem’s eyes as he broke out in a smile, met his hand, and they high fived.

“Thanks, _aibou!”_

“Seriously, I’ve never seen you play that card before!” Jounouchi crowed, the spell seemingly broken as the group swarmed around the game king. “Did you _actually_ set that move up five turns back?!”

“Yes. I put the Dedication card in my deck last night, but I knew it’d only come in handy if I had some extra attack points ready to combo with it.”

“I don’t get it, man, but from where I was standing, that was one of your best duels yet, and you didn’t even use one of the Gods.”

“Thanks, Honda.”

“Pfft, that must have pissed Kaiba off royally, though. He probably thinks you were holding back or some–”

Jounouchi went on, ignoring Anzu’s efforts to alert him to Mokuba standing _right there_ in favor of dissing the CEO and praising his friend’s skills… who met the compliments with a wide grin, even as his gaze shifted subtly to the side.

To his partner.

Yuugi didn’t notice, because he was smiling at Jounouchi and shaking his head at whatever he was saying… and so he missed it. Missed it when Atem’s grin slipped, just for a moment. Missed the way his other self’s eyes lingered on him.

Missed the way he clenched the hand Yuugi just high fived him with… as though he didn’t want to lose the echo of his touch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Music:** [In My Veins](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKiOYCPFFDM&list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z&index=21) by Andrew Belle
> 
> **[twitter](https://twitter.com/Phoebeus14) :: [tumblr blog](http://bitterseaproduction.tumblr.com/) :: [music](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z) :: [ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/phoebeus)**


	12. Friday, June 26th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY WINTER SOLSTICE!! I hope everyone is enjoying their preferred holidays! In honor of the season, I present you this: the longest, literally _longest_ chapter in the history of all things I have ever written. But honestly, it would have been downright cruel to cut this particular chapter in half, so here! For this snowy season, I offer you one giant mega-chapter.
> 
> Meanwhile, I seem to be the one getting all of the amazing gifts, because [Sally Vinter](http://celepom.tumblr.com/) made _another_ amazing comic for this story- the [balcony scene](celepom.tumblr.com/post/167999307957/realization-revelation-reconfiguration-by) from chapter 9! (I've been staring at it for a month straight... I'll make a point to add all of the art thusfar to the end of relevant chapters, by the way, so that new readers/re-readers can see it right after the event.) But, back to the present- a huge thanks to [KatNocta](http://archiveofourown.org/users/KatNocta/pseuds/KatNocta) for helping me wrangle this monster into readable sense for all of you. And again, the best of seasons' greetings to every single one of my readers! I see each and every one of your comments, and you have no idea how rewarding it is to write for you. 
> 
> So, as we head into 2018? Everyone, thank you.
> 
>  **Chapter Music:** [Nine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k699IAc1TPA&index=19&list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z) by Yutaka Yamada

“Good morning.”

“Atem-kun?” Yui looked up from her book to discover her unexpected long-term house guest standing at her kitchen door. “What are you doing up? It’s not even six yet.”

“I woke up early,” he answered– rather needlessly. There was no haze or hint of recent sleep in his eyes, and with his borrowed shirt from Yuugi’s winter uniform, his jeans, that old golden pyramid pendant, and the fact he was standing there at all? It all backed his claim without a word needing to be said… except, the tension at his mouth, in his shoulders, and the exhaustion under his gaze all told a slightly _different_ story.

Atem skirted her suspecting frown by looking at her book. “Am I bothering you?”

“Oh… no, of course not–” Or rather _yes,_ before breakfast was often the only guaranteed private time Yui would have during the day. If the meal was quick to make or leftovers she could warm up, like today, she would take advantage of the extra time to squeeze in a little reading, without train passengers or family members or customers right at hand to distract her.

But Atem looked sorely like he would turn tail and walk out if she said so, and Yui didn’t want to encourage him. She had been meaning to catch him at some point for a chat, anyways.

She stuck a napkin in between the pages of her book, closed it, and stood with a prompting wave. “Come in, I was just about to put the coffee on. Would you like any?”

Atem gave a wordless hum as she moved, lingering in the doorway as he watched her take out the coffee and the filters and fill the brewer with water… before finally crossing the threshold to join her in the room. “No, thank you.”

“Really? Because you look like you could use it.” Yui threw a quick, hard glance over her shoulder before grabbing two mugs out of the cabinet, setting them aside to fish some bread out of the loaf bag sitting on the counter and pop them in the toaster. “You have more circles under your eyes than Yuugi-kun did the morning of that city tournament. You know, the one he was in a couple of months ago?”

Yui looked back when Atem gave a snort and watched him pull out a chair at the table– the one that had so quickly become his own. He slid into it with a small smile on his face, arms promptly crossed over his chest. “That was my fault, in a way. The two of us were up all night preparing for that tournament… and we only joined in the first place for my sake.”

“I figured as much,” she mumbled, turning so as to lean her hip against the counter and face her company properly. “But don’t change the subject. Why are you tired now?”

The fond memory in Atem’s smile faded away, and he just… looked at her, far too many calculations buzzing away behind his eyes for so simple a question. Eventually, though, as the seconds ticked by and the coffee brewer gurgled to life, he shifted his gaze to the tablet… and answered. “I couldn’t sleep.”

Yui nodded, relaxing a little into the fine sign of an honest reply. “And yesterday? And the night before that? Have you slept at all lately?”

Atem didn’t even twitch, but the catch of silence before he said, “Some,” was telling enough.

Again, she wasn't surprised.

The toast popped up, and Yui left Atem be to cut and butter it… only speaking up again once the food was ready. “Do you want to talk about it? Or is it something a mom’s not supposed to know?” When she turned around, plate in hand, Atem was eyeing her with open wariness– and she shot him a _look_ right back, suspicious and already certain she was right. “Or is it something you _should_ be telling a mom, or at least _someone,_ but you’re afraid of the consequences?”

“It’s not–” Atem shut his mouth against whatever response nearly came out, and glowered at the food Yui set before him until he found new words to offer her. “It’s nothing like that. It’s just not anything you or anyone else can do something about.”

“Oh, there’s always _something_ I could do,” she countered, straightening to hover at Atem’s side with both hands on her hips, and both eyes set on the side of his face. “If you would tell me, I’d listen, and if nothing else? It might make you feel better. Nothing makes you feel alone like actually _being_ alone with your own thoughts, you know.”

Assuming, of course, it was something he hadn’t shared with _anyone._ Not even…

But Atem’s silence was telling, for why else would he need to mask his reaction to her comment? Keep staring at his food? Say nothing?

…That was answer enough in Yui’s book.  

“…Consequences, then?” she tried, only to huff out a breath when Atem’s mouth pulled a little tighter. She turned and took her own seat, leaning her forearms into the table edge as she kept a speculative eye trained on the young man. “That’s what I assumed… I take it Yuugi-kun would say the same thing, then?”

_There it was._ Atem blinked, and – though his expression remained roughly guarded – he looked at her. Asked, without ever opening his mouth, what she meant, a wary alarm shining in his eyes. 

“I was thinking about asking him, too, since it’s clearly something bothering both of you,” she explained, shifting her attention to the door as she thought of her son, probably still asleep in his bedroom, up the stairs and down the hall. “He’s been walking around half the week with a Renju smile on his face.”

“A Ren…” Atem’s unease slid into open confusion. “What does _Ot…_ Yuugi’s father have to do with it?”

Yui turned back to him, watched as he struggled to correct himself around the name he was obviously about to drop… and as Atem found his own ease, she frowned with rising uncertainty. If Atem thought of Renju as _his_ father, on any level, maybe… “It might be best if I didn’t say.”

Atem was disappointed, even tempted to demand that she answer. She could see it in his frown… but when he finally spoke, it was with a compromise on his breath. “If you can't explain it, then at least tell me what you meant about _aibou.”_

Yui arched an eyebrow at him. “You’ve seen him more than I have lately, haven’t you? Wouldn’t you know better than anyone what he’s thinking?”

It was an unfair question in a way, and Yui knew it. But her point stood, and Atem– his gaze faltered. He slid back into uncertainty… and silence. He didn’t share more with her. He… turned away, and stared down at his food.

And Yui followed his gaze, breathing out a sigh through her nose before motioning at the plate. “Eat your toast. It’ll get cold.”

“…” Atem reached for a slice, bending it back against the ceramic to tear it in two before picking up one half… mumbling a quiet, “Thanks,” between slow, mechanical bites.

Yui didn’t answer. She was too busy thinking, trying to figure out something else she could say… but honestly, she just didn’t know enough about Atem and Yuugi’s apparent… fight? Falling out? _Whatever it was_ to give direct advice. All she knew was that _something_ had happened between the two, and while Atem was struggling with some sort of guilt, or frustration, Yuugi was… resigned… and that was what worried her. The idea of her boy having something _that big_ he was struggling to accept? The idea that he might succeed in the worst of ways?

Her instinct was to talk to him, reach out and insist on answers, the way she was trying to with Atem right then. But Yuugi would just smile, hide, and insist everything was fine. She was sure of that. And she couldn’t just shake the pain out of her son and throw it away for him. Whatever ailed him, he would have to face it himself.

But, Atem was part of it, too, somehow… and from the way she had seen the boy staring at _her_ boy, she was sure of it… he wanted to shake something out of Yuugi, too.

He was holding back, though, stumbling in the face of Yuugi’s smile.

…

“I guess I never did tell Yuugi-kun that story,” she said, breaking the silence with little notice and catching Atem mid-bite. He stalled with the last slice of toast still in his mouth and looked at her in surprise as she asked, “Unless Renju-san crying in the middle of class rings any bells?”

Atem just… _stared_ for awhile, eyes wide and shocked and a stumbling grabble for context clear in their burnt color… until he finally swallowed and said, “No, it doesn’t.”

“I assumed not.” She leaned back in her chair, settled into her seat and her decision to speak, and asked, “But you know some things from Yuugi-kun, right? Like how Renju-san and I met in our high school English club?”

He nodded, some of the tension sliding out of his shoulders as he traded shock and wariness for curiosity. “You were both in the club from the start of high school, but you only started talking in your second year, when you asked him to tutor you.”

“Right,” Yui sniffed, a smile twitching across her lips as she slid back through the memories. “He always got top marks on English tests – on everything, really – and I wasn’t _bad,_ but my mother thought it would be good if I could get the best– or at least _near_ the best score in at least _one_ of my final exams, and English seemed like my best chance.” She folded her fingers under her chin, grinning at the blinking, uncertain boy before her as she admitted, “I’d never say so to Yuugi-kun, but it was annoying, taking on so much extra studying at the time… but when Renju-san agreed to tutor me? I stopped seeing his zeal as the weird quirk of an irksome club rival, but as something to admire. I saw _him_ as someone to admire… which certainly wasn’t true before. He had a few club friends, true, but Renju-san always came off as so _straightlaced_ in class. He never goofed off or hung out with anyone, just read and did his school work all the time… and he stunk at sports, and a lot of people teased him about his height–”

Yui had to stall and bite her lip to keep from smiling too much when Atem sniffed at that point, as though Yui’s classmates were too petty to be worth his time.

He didn’t say anything, though, and after a breath her expression relaxed. “But he was so smart… and more than that? Dedicated. He always came off as if he had everything in order, knew exactly what he was doing… but when I actually talked to him myself? Heard his thoughts? That just seemed _more_ true. He could just talk forever about how he was going to keep going with school. And it wasn’t just empty bravado. It was hope, and a plan. He wanted to earn a business degree or two with a focus on railway management, get a job with the state running one of the big national groups, and do everything he could to help the country connect itself in the best way possible.”

And Atem truly _must_ have understood, because he smiled. A bright, proud thing that Yui herself started, because he was just mirroring her in their shared knowledge of hindsight. Because they both knew, despite some huge shifts in the industry over the years, Renju’s efforts had all been worth it in the end.

“It should have been annoying,” Yui went on, leaning her head more into one hand over the other as she smiled at the past. “But he just seemed so _impressive,_ and like he really could do it– make a difference. He had the grades, after all, and in third year he even made class president… But that wasn’t what really _drew_ me to him. It was his sincerity… his enthusiasm. He really, _really_ believed in what he was doing, and it just… it made him shine. And he wasn’t self-focused about it, either. He cared about the impact the railways could make, and because his work could build a solid future for him and his family. And even back then, in school, and with me? He wanted everyone he came in contact with to have something to work for– a dream as clear and true as his own. He pushed everyone who would listen to him to figure out _what they wanted,_ and to work for it with everything they had– myself included.” And she laughed– _had_ to laugh at that recollection, at _herself_ for the humble, lost dream she herself once had.

But when she looked up again, Atem wasn’t smiling anymore. He was _looking_ at her, a faint disapproval in his eyes for… what? What she said? No, he only started frowning at her laugh, right? Why? But even as she tried to figure it out, Atem’s expression softened… and he didn't explain himself. He just tipped his hand in a prompting wave. “Go on.”

Yui… could find no answers, no matter how long she stared, so finally she shook her head– and did as Atem bid. “Renju-san heard I wanted to own a bookstore one day, and he pressed me– told me to keep going with English club so that I could talk to foreign customers, said that I should master statistics and math, and take some classes on business management myself. He even shared some self-starter books with me, and took time away from all of his other stuff to go on trips with me around the city… and once even _out_ of the city. To little book shops, so that we could talk to the owners about how _they_ got started and ran things. He did everything he could to help me, and–”

And the coffee brewer went off.

She jerked a little with the interruption, then as she came back to herself and realized what she had been saying? She… glanced at Atem, and discovered him smiling at her.

The air behind that smile made Yui clear her throat as she got up, and keep her back to him as she poured the coffee, in an effort to cover her own embarrassment.

“…What then?”

–She glanced over her shoulder with the pot still in her hand. “What?”

Atem looked right back at her with an unflagging attention, unblinking as he asked, “How did that lead to him crying in class?”

 _“Oh,_ right…” she mumbled, the reminder sliding a sad tint into her smile as she turned back to the counter. “We’d been… well, not _dating_ that long, but it was still nearly a year after I first got to know him, when… It must have been May, or maybe June? June seems a little late.” She set aside the pot and returned to the table with coffee in hand… sliding one mug in front of Atem as she sat down with her own. The boy stared at the cup without comment, and she just went right on talking. “It was early third year, either way. And either way, out of nowhere, as far as I was concerned? Renju started… changing.” Her smile ebbed away completely as she thought through the memory, and… she didn’t fully process it, but she still saw Atem mirror her shift in mood again. Grow stiff and still and… dare she say nervous? Either way, his gaze was attentive and tense when she looked his way again. “That spring, Renju-san? He grew… quiet, and his smiles started growing… forced. Real, in their way, but they never touched his eyes anymore.”

Atem didn’t say anything, but Yui was watching, and thus saw it as his eyes glassed over, and he just… stopped breathing…

It couldn’t last, though, and when he let out a quick, mandatory gust of a breath, she went on, as though nothing had happened. “And yes, he still answered my calls and spent time with me, welcomed me and everything… but he never lingered like he used to. Never went on trips or proper dates with me, and… when I was with him, even when he _was_ smiling? He wasn’t… letting me in anymore.”

And nothing could be as telling to Yui as the way Atem’s gaze dropped as she spoke… the way he stared at his empty, crumb-covered plate, jaw tight and crinkling his chin.

She watched it all with a quiet eye… then drew Atem’s attention back to her by saying, “I honestly thought he’d grown tired of me. I even stopped reaching out to him, let days go by without talking to him, because I thought I was bothering him. And I thought, maybe that was just how people broke up sometimes. They just stop talking.” She shook her head, expression open with impatience for her own younger self– before she turned that same sharp feeling on _Atem,_ sitting right in front of her. “Never trick yourself into thinking something like that, alright? If someone who cares about you starts pulling away like that? A friend _or_ a girlfriend? It’s probably not you or anything you did. And it's probably the worst possible thing you could do, to just let them get away with it.”

And the boy had the audacity to arch a brow at her… before shifting his gaze back to his plate. As though Yui’s advice was rudely unnecessary, or maybe just painfully off the mark.

She ignored him, though, sipping her coffee for a few moments… before going on with a simple, to the point, “And then, in social studies one morning? Renju-san was reciting something out a book, that the teacher called on him to read? And just a few lines in, he broke down sobbing.”

It took a couple of stumbling blinks, but finally Atem’s head whipped around so he could throw her the shocked look Yui had been expecting.

A look that screamed _What?!_

And Yui nodded. “Crying, right in front of everyone.” And she sighed, an old sympathy showing in her eyes as she looked down at her mug. “He was so mortified, he just ran out– right out of the classroom. And I couldn’t go after him, because the teacher stopped me… but I found him later, in the nurse’s office. And it was probably for the best that I didn’t confront him right away, because he likely would have clammed up back there, in the hallway, in front of everyone… but alone in the nurse's office, when it was just me? He admitted it.” Yui set her mug down, folded her hands back together on the table, and lifted her head to eye her company with a quiet… _kind_ sadness. “His mother had been diagnosed with cancer.”

And Atem… his expression collapsed, just a little, before he gathered his composure back together… leaving him steady, but clearly affected.

As he reasonably would be, if he had Yuugi’s memories… thought of them as his own, at any level. Mutou Rin had been Yuugi’s precious grandmother, after all, lost when he was still a very young boy.

But this story wasn’t about Yuugi, or Atem.

Not directly, at least.

“Renju-san was heartbroken, of course,” Yui said, voice quiet and gaze as melancholic as Atem’s own. “She was his only family, after all, since she had no living relative, and _Otou-san_ – Sugoroku-san, that is – wasn’t in the picture at the time. And on top of it all? Even if she could survive, the treatments were expensive, and she couldn’t work anytime soon. No matter what, there would be no funds left for school. And without school, Renju wouldn’t be able to take care of _her_ in the long run, much less fulfill his own dreams. And, if he couldn’t go to school, he…  wouldn’t be able to secure a future sound enough to marry me.” And despite it all, Yui had to smile at _that,_ reaching forward to twirl her mug between her fingers as she added, “It turned out that he had planned for _that,_ too.”

“…That was very farsighted of him.”

Yui nodded, picked up her coffee for a quick sip, and eyed Atem over the brim. “It worked out, of course, as you know.” And even as Atem failed to mirror her, she smiled. “I got to be the strong one for once, and tossed his apologies and efforts to ‘do the right thing’ and break-up with me and ‘free me’ right back at him, and we went to see his mom right after school.” She snorted, a faint, wry edge touching her grin as she put the mug back down and said, “That was the first time I ever met her. Even then, Rin-san was something else.”

Atem had fallen back into that serious default of his at some point… but even so he nodded, and his quiet, “I know,” was soft with sincerity.

Yui stared at him, caught by the oddness of it, by how strange it must be for _him,_ remembering a past that wasn't his own… and nodded. “I suppose you do.”

Atem’s gaze dropped, but she ignored it, rolling her shoulders into sitting up straight before she went on. “The point is, even if things got more complicated after that, with Yuugi-kun coming along, and _Otou-san_ having to step in? The part that has always stuck with me was how long Renju-san suffered, and I didn’t even know it.” She stared at the side of Atem’s face even as he refused to look up, searching for some sign of understanding in his hard, guarded eyes. “My boyfriend’s mom was dying, and he had been enduring that all alone– and I didn’t know it for nearly three months. Even when he was right there beside me, and I knew something was wrong, I never saw how much he was really hurting.”

Atem… opened his mouth… and shut again, into a tight frown… before finally looking up at her, tense as an animal ready to bolt. “Why didn’t he tell you before? Did he ever say?”

Yui remained still, chin cushioned in her hand as she took in this boy, so wary of showing his interest, but anxious to know… and smiled. “He wanted to be strong for me. To save me the worry. In his head, he thought he could come up with some plan, some way to take care of his mom, make money, provide for me… and either he’d tell me once he had that plan in place, and it would still be okay to propose to me, or… he’d know it was truly impossible. Then he could encourage me to move on– to not put my own happiness at risk by tying myself to some boy with no future.”

She saw it. Heard it. Atem’s eyes sparked wide and dark and he sucked in a breath and… went still… and as she stared, confused, her own breath caught in her throat… _Atem_ swallowed. He grit his expression back to its previous calm as he asked, “This… _is_ about _aibou_ and him, right?”

Yui opened her mouth, furrowed her brow around the question as she processed it, then… “What?”

But he turned away. Glowered down at his plate again, and didn’t speak.

…And with nothing else to do, Yui shook her head and pressed on, gaze still caught on his downturned face. “Anyways, he didn’t want to burden me… But trying to brave it out alone when everything seemed hopeless? That just hurt us both more in the end. And if I had been confident enough to confront him about his behavior right away, when I first noticed it? _Before_ he suffered so much he couldn’t even hide it anymore?”

She left the answer hanging… but Atem did not look like he wanted it, anyways. He had taken to tensing further, his expression quietly morphing into a full on grimace with whatever he held at bay… and it only broke and collapsed in on itself, into a quiet defeat, when Yui asked, “So, Atem-kun, what is hurting my boy? …What’s hurting you?” Those red eyes ticked up towards her, watching, wary… and she just stared right back, certainty leaving her own eyes heavy. “It’s not just that you’re saying leaving soon, is it?”

…

Atem… slowly dropped Yui’s gaze, pinned his own on his plate again… then up a little higher, on his coffee mug as he offered a simple, “I can’t say.”

And Yui… nodded. “Yes, you made that clear already. And you don’t think Yuugi-kun will say, either.”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“No… and that’s fine.” She accepted, understood… but when Atem looked up at her with open, numb surprise, she used the gaze to shoot him yet another _look._ “But people don’t smile like that or look this tired unless they’re bottling something up that _someone_ should hear– and I don’t want to get any calls from school or stories from _Otou-san_ about one of you breaking down like that, so… just don’t let it get that bad, alright?”

Atem’s jaw rolled, but his lips remained closed, glued tight together as he shifted his gaze forward again, down, on that mug… even when Yui stood and slipped around the table edge to grip his shoulder.

It rose beneath her touch, tensed… but didn’t pull away… and for one, brief moment, she thought she felt it shake.

But it was soon still again, and she let go after a couple, light pats to walk back to the counter, never forcing a look at his hidden face. “I’ll put some eggs on.”

There was no reply, but she honestly didn’t expect one… so a few seconds later, when she heard the jostle of ceramic on wood? She peeked curiously over her shoulder.

Atem was drinking his coffee.

He grimaced openly at the taste, but didn’t put it down. Just swallowed slowly with an unpleasant expression… and tipped the mug to drink again.

Yui turned back to the stove.

A few minutes passed, and she turned on the radio, put out the meal, switched to washing the pan… when quick feet and a loud yawn announced the latest arrival at the door.

“Morning…”

“Morning, Yuugi-kun!” Yui answered, taking a quick look at the clock before glancing over her shoulder to take in the boy walking into the kitchen, his eyes heavy and fogged and his summer school shirt slightly wrinkled against his stomach. “You’re late. You only have a couple minutes to eat before you have to run.”

“Right, right, sorry… Looks like _Jii-chan_ slept in again, though…” Yuugi mumbled as he made a bee-line for the table, earning a snort from his mother as she turned back to the sink.

Any urge to comment on his grandfather being over seventy with no school gates ready to slam in his face died away at Atem’s quiet, “Hey.”

A tiny hiccup of silence, then Yuugi echoed him, voice pleasant and warm and far too awake all of a sudden. “Hey! …I didn’t know you drink coffee.”

“I just started.”

There was a soft hum in reply, and then a heavy silence as Yuugi took his seat and started eating, utensils clattering as Yui focused on draining the last of her coffee so she could clean the mug.

But behind her–

 _“Aibou…_ Can I ask you something?”

The scrape of a knife cut off suddenly, and there was a pause… a lag long enough that Yui looked up from the sink and back at the boys.

Yuugi was smiling at Atem. “Sure, what’s up?”

But Atem didn’t answer for a breath. It was clear _some_ question was already on his tongue when he asked– but he swallowed it back at the sight of that smile, frowned at Yuugi, and– “Can I walk you to school?”

…Yui turned away from Yuugi's surprised face to wash her mug.

* * *

“Jounouchi-kun swears he’ll make our ears bleed on purpose if we make him go,” Yuugi shared, snorting at the idea as he stared out of the bus window between the turned backs of two business men. “Not that I can blame him. I haven’t been very fond of the karaoke scene myself, since– well, you know, _Sozoji-kun.”_

 _“Oh,_ I know.”

Yuugi’s smile curled into something a little truer, and for a brief moment he offered it to Atem directly.

And he took it eagerly, mirrored it, hung in a moment of loud silence with his partner as they shared in that synced memory… until Yuugi broke the gaze that lingered too long, too openly, to look back out of the bus window. Atem’s smile fell, and mute resolve rose back up in its place.

“I wonder how Hanasaki-kun is doing these days. I haven’t heard from him since the end of our first year… oh, this is my stop.”

“Aa,” Atem clenched his hand on the support pole in expectation of the quick stop that shook the bus, then followed his partner in his swift, struggling efforts to get to the exit.

“Excuse me, pardon me– just need to get through!” Yuugi called out for the both of them, practically stumbling down the steps in his rush. But he kept his feet, and when Atem slipped through the closing gaps Yuugi left behind him, he came out onto the street to find Yuugi already there, straightening his bag. “Whoo, I’m glad we caught that bus, but that route is always so _crowded!”_

“No surprise. A lot of your classmates take it to school,” Atem observed, his gaze scanning the shifting crowd around them for the familiar short-sleeved white shirts and blue pants… before he focused a smile on Yuugi. “But now you won’t have to run, right?”

“Nope!” Yuugi agreed, a bright grin on his face… that he quickly dropped to the ground between them when Atem looked him in the eye– then forward to the street ahead of them as he turned to go. “Still, we better get moving– if you still want to walk me the whole way?”

“Aa,” Atem repeated, so quietly that Yuugi likely didn’t hear him… then he rushed to catch up to him, falling into step at his partner’s side as they left the bus stop.

Yuugi picked up the conversation right where they had left it. “But if we can get out of karaoke, there are still a lot of other fun things we could all do Sunday. Jounouchi-kun mentioned the arcade, Bakura-kun was thinking bowling, Anzu just wanted to hang and talk…”

And Yuugi went right along strumming through the options, sharing his opinion on each one as Atem listened with only half an ear. He was too busy eying the street before them, measuring the distance in his mind and how long it would take them to reach the gate, and… fighting back the tension that threatened to swell in his throat and leave him breathless.

He shouldn’t just let the seconds tick by. The closer they got to school, the less time they’d have to talk… the less likely Yuugi would even be free to stop and answer him.

…And it was so practical and tempting to not say anything _at all,_ wait until school was out and Yuugi came home and they’d have the bedroom, and the evening ahead, and–

But no. That was just a delay, and Atem– he’d already decided. This was what he wanted to do, and he couldn’t back out now– and he couldn’t walk around the rest of the day with those words on the tip of his tongue.

He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t stand it.

So he interrupted.

“Of course, tonight and maybe even tomorrow we’ll be busy at the mall. It sounds like Otogi-kun and his father have nearly everything in place, but–”

_“Aibou.”_

Yuugi tipped his head his way, eyes curious… but it took three whole steps before he realized Atem wasn’t walking with him.

He stalled a few paces ahead of him, turned to face him… a gulf of a yard or so between them. “Yeah?”

Atem… stared… his heart hammering in his throat at the cautious expectation in his partner’s eyes.

He denied the doubt. Swallowed it down. Played his hand with open, reckless abandon.

He said it. “I want to talk about what happened at Bakura’s.”

There was no audible gasp. No sudden spark of light, or wide eyes.

Just… Yuugi just… his face slowly blanked out. There was surprise there, in his eyes. A sense of blindsiding, _true,_ but… but whatever he felt beyond the shock was quickly swallowed up. Veiled before he ever showed it.

Atem knew that much, and little else. He had surprised him, and now he would have to wait.

So he waited… stared back just as unblinking as his partner, there on the street, strangers passing by all around them.

He expected Yuugi to point that out. That it wasn’t the place or the time for this, or maybe that it wasn’t appropriate to bring it up at all anymore.

Instead, when his partner recovered? He frowned at a neighboring shop display window, and said, “Talk about what, exactly? I… didn’t you say everything before?”

It was more than he could have ever hoped for, and Atem breathed it in, let it buoy him further, into saying, “I did, but you never really said much in return.”

Yuugi’s expression relaxed – _blanked out_ – even further.

Atem ignored it. “I know talking won’t change anything, but I don’t want to let this come between–”

“It won’t.”

“But _aibou,_ it’s already–”

“It _won’t,”_ Yuugi repeated, his gaze finally shifting back to his– and paralyzing the protest on Atem’s tongue with a single glance.

Atem slowly shut his mouth, frustration and wonder rolling one over the other in the face of his partner’s reticent sincerity.

Yuugi shook his head, his lips softly curling up at the edges. “Do you really think I’d let something like that come between us? That it would change anything? After everything we’ve been through?”

Atem… he hated it. He _hated_ how his heart ached for those words. How he soaked them up.

How that didn’t stop the hurt.

And he should be fighting… _this_ was what he should be fighting…

And yet, he was shaking his head. “No.”

And Yuugi nodded, the tight line of his shoulders falling as he reached up to support one of his bag straps… that _smile_ still on his face. “Then… that’s that, right? It didn’t change anything, and you don’t _want_ it to change anything, right?”

Atem– sucked in a breath.

It was quiet. Even soundless.

But Yuugi’s smile fell. His eyes went wide.

And Atem knew– he had shown a tell.

He tried to school it out of his face, but it was too late. Yuugi… didn’t stop staring… didn’t stop searching for some sign that Atem… that Atem wouldn't give.

A few people walked passed…

Atem… nodded. “That’s right.” And Yuugi… didn’t react at all.

He knew he was lying.

And Atem felt the words crowding up one on top of the other in his throat– **_No._ ** _I_ **_do_ ** _want things to change! I don’t want this, this isn’t right, this isn’t what we were, I want what we had and I don’t care that it meant so much more than I ever admitted and that’s not even_ **_true,_ ** _that’s not enough either, I want it back and I want more and I don’t even know what I want but I_ **_want–_ **

He swallowed.

…Yuugi kept waiting…

…

And… slowly… Yuugi smiled again.

Atem– looked away, glared down at his own feet.

“Then, I understand,” Yuugi was saying. “You don’t have to give reasons or anything. I already know, and… I understand. So, what’s there left to say? What do you… want to talk about?”

…He didn’t know.

Atem didn’t know how to do this. How to take Yui’s advice. How to demand openness from his partner where _he_ couldn’t give it.

How to… stop them from breaking…

…And he _knew,_ even as he asked, that it likely wasn’t the answer. He knew what Yuugi would say, even as he looked up and spoke.

But it was all he could think to ask.

“Are _you alright?”_

And… _Yuugi's_ eyes went wide. Open and stark with alarm, with… with the look of a duelist on their last card. Their last life point.

And Atem tensed, anticipated, _hoped–_

But… Yuugi just nodded. Recovered. “Yeah, I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me.” And he… smiled again. “I just… I just want to be with you as much as possible. If I’m sure of that, I can handle anything, you know?”

And it should have been defeat. Despair. Heartbreak.

But Atem’s heart was whole and full and _overflowing_ as he stared into that smile… and it hit him.

Yuugi wasn’t smiling to protect himself. He wasn’t doing it for himself. He was smiling for _him._

He… he wanted Atem to feel better.

Yuugi really, really _wanted_ to be fine.

He was… trying so hard…

…And Atem… smiled back. “Yeah… I know.”

And Yuugi’s mouth split in a full out beam, wide and bright and… and he shone… and Atem couldn’t look away. Didn’t look away… not even when Yuugi looked down, his light folding in on itself bit by bit… until the boy shook his head and turned to go. “I’m gonna be late.”

And Atem didn’t stop him. He just… followed, not even trying to catch up. He walked in Yuugi’s shadow, staring at the back of his head as he replayed what had just happened… and his brief consolation faded away in a rising certainty.

Yuugi lied. He wasn’t alright.

It was so _obvious,_ and… and Atem had known that already. It wasn't even new. Yuugi had been hurting for a long time, and he knew it. Atem… Atem had seen that when they fought in that tournament, and– no… no, it was before that… Was it _then,_ back at the hospital? Had that been the start? It… it had to be… and it made sense. That was when _Atem_ accepted he would have to go, after all, before he knew _why._ And Yuugi… he had always been able to read his heart. Had always known what he was thinking.

Even… even now… Yuugi had recognized what he had realized back there, at Bakura’s. He _knew_ what Atem had been… thinking… what he was still thinking…

…Did he know why Atem had lied, too? Did he know _why_ Atem didn’t want… this? Didn’t want to…

…

Atem stared at his partner’s back…

…

He knew, right? Yuugi _knew,_ didn’t he? He understood? He had _said_ he did, after all. He had to know _why_ it was a horrible idea, why…

…

He should ask.

That had been the point, right? That he shouldn’t assume? That these things should be said out loud? Confirmed, so there were no mistakes? He should be _certain_ that Yuugi understood! That he didn’t– didn’t think it was _him_ or something. That Atem really _did_ want to… but it just wasn’t wise. It wasn’t about what he _wanted,_ it was about what he should do. It would be wrong to reach for… four weeks… _four weeks_ and anything Atem started would be left unfinished. Left to rot, and fester, and bleed. He would just… he would just leave wounds behind, and…

…He didn’t want to leave this. Not like this.

He _knew_ saying what he wanted to say would end in nothing good.

Either his partner wouldn’t return his feelings… or he would… and Atem would leave Yuugi troubled by feelings he never should have burdened him with… _or…_

But he didn’t want _this,_ either. This unsaid silence, and these false smiles? He didn’t want _this_ to be their ending, either.

He… he didn’t want any of it.

He didn’t _want this._

He… he wanted…

“Morning, Bakura-kun!”

Atem’s gaze flicked up– and caught on a pair of blue eyes.

Deep blue eyes staring right _at him._

Atem instantly relaxed his face.

Bakura blinked, and his attention drifted slowly towards Yuugi, smiling at him– without ever fully looking away from Atem. “Oh, morning, Yuugi-kun.”

“I’m surprised you’re still here,” Yuugi observed as he reached the street corner Bakura was standing at. “Usually you’re at school long before me.”

“I got caught up folding some laundry this morning… and what brings you along, Atem-kun?”

The question was innocent enough, but Atem had to fight the urge to frown as Bakura looked at him full on again, all attentive and curious and… contemplative. “Walking _aibou_ to school.”

“Oh, that’s nice.”

Bakura smiled. Atem stared.

Yuugi blinked, and looked between them. “Um… Are–”

“Are you coming to the mall this evening?” Bakura asked, cutting through whatever Yuugi was fumbling to say.

Atem frowned, a defense forming on his tongue… until he actually processed the question. And his retort died, drowning in confusion as he looked from Bakura to his partner. The mall? “Why would I?”

“Otogi-kun and his father are opening a cafe there,” Yuugi explained, lips quirking with clear humor at Atem’s surprised glance. “I was trying to tell you earlier– Bakura-kun and I and everyone else are going to help them set up the place after school today, so they’ll be ready for their grand opening next week.”

“I see…” Atem murmured… only to frown again as he remembered, “I told _Jii-chan_ I would watch the shop today until closing.”

“Ah, that’s too bad,” Bakura said– but Yuugi just smiled.

“It’s probably for the best. We’ll be going pretty late – even after the mall closes – so I won’t even be back until after eleven… and you should get some sleep tonight.”

Atem blinked out of his hard stare at the sidewalk– to shoot his partner an uncertain, disbelieving look.

He _didn’t–_ He noticed?

But Yuugi just… kept smiling at him.

Atem’s gut twisted in on itself.

He didn’t have time to recover before Yuugi turned to go– moving to cross the road as the traffic lightened up. “Come on! The gates are going to close soon.”

Atem didn’t move… watched him go… until a burning on the side of his face told him to turn and look.

Bakura was staring at him again.

Atem ignored him. Said nothing, turned away, crossed the road… and followed his partner.

* * *

“Alright, so what’s the story?”

Yuugi’s slow chewing stalled to a standstill as he blinked up at Jounouchi, who was suddenly sitting beside him– glowering right _at_ him, a firm fire in his eyes.

…He said nothing else. Just kept glaring until Yuugi finally lowered his rice ball from his mouth to ask, “What?”

“Don’t you ‘what’ me, Yuugi,” Jounouchi insisted, prompting the named boy to flick his gaze across the roof, towards his other friends, who all stopped unpacking their own lunches to stare at Jounouchi, too, implying a surprise and confusion to match Yuugi’s own… but their expressions–

“They told me,” Jounouchi was saying, waving towards the others with a sharp, dismissive wave. “Anzu, Honda, Bakura? They all say you’re hiding a fight from us!”

Hiding– …Oh.

Understanding fell heavy across Yuugi’s ignorance… and he let his arm drop to his thigh, his hand and the rice ball in it drifting slowly down to his lap.

_Oh._

“Jounouchi-kun!” Anzu protested, voice defensive and wary and she was looking at _him,_ not Jounouchi. “We didn’t say that!”

Honda gave some sort of vague, noncommittal sound in reply, frowning down at his sandwich, and Bakura–

“When did we say it was a fight?” Bakura asked, honestly baffled where Anzu and Honda looked… troubled.

Grim.

“What else would it be?” Jounouchi scoffed, taking his eyes off of Yuugi only a moment to glower at the others before refocusing. Re-frowning. But there was a concern there– a worried vehemence that Yuugi knew well, that had once touched him and initially prompted his love for his best friend, in those earliest days… but Yuugi hadn’t seen that look in quite a while.

He hadn’t _earned_ that look in quite a while.

And where it would have once earned his shock and his gratitude and tears, now it just made him stare down at his own hands as Jounouchi insisted, “You’ve been acting weird for _days,_ Yuugi. Don’t think I hadn’t noticed– that _we_ hadn’t noticed. But now everybody says it’s because you’re fighting with _Atem_ of all things!”

He expected it. Yuugi _expected it._ But still something in him fell flat and flailed all at once. Something bubbled up under his tongue, ached to be spit out.

He swallowed it, stared into his friend’s face… and shook his head. “We’re not fighting. We– it's not a fight.”

“That’s what I said! That it’s crazy to even _think_ of you two fighting,” Jounouchi snapped, frowning at him, and them, and himself… only for the sharpness to pass, confusion and wonder playing across his softening features. “I mean, yeah, you _could–_ but I’ve seen you together lately, since things started getting weird… and you’re not _mad_ at each other, right?”

“No, not at all.”

“But there _is_ something wrong, isn’t there?”

Yuugi… looked slowly to his right.

Anzu was sitting at his side, her expression calm, but her eyes churning, and troubled, and certain. “I know you, Yuugi-kun. You’re so considerate, especially with– with _Atem-kun,_ and I know _he_ is always thinking about your feelings, too.”

He couldn’t do it. Yuugi couldn’t look at her.

He stared at his own knees, not blinking and not _breathing_ as he fought to hold back the tide rising inside of him.

“So, for the two of you to actually be _fighting–”_

“It’s not a fight,” he whispered.

“…To be so anxious around each other–” Anzu corrected, and Yuugi pinched his lips– only to shift his gaze up at a light pressure on his upper arm.

Anzu was touching him, gripping his arm, and when Yuugi followed the contact, he got caught again in her worried eyes again. “It’s not natural, so we know it has to be something big. And if you don’t want to tell us, that’s _okay,_ but we can’t just watch you _pretend_ everything is fine.”

Yuugi… stared at her. Stared, and said nothing.

For what was he supposed to say? How could he answer that? How could he actually come out and say anything? How could he talk about it and still–

Accept.

Smile.

Be okay.

…

What good could ever come from saying he wasn’t okay?  

…Yuugi looked back down at Anzu’s hand, focused on it as he breathed deep and– tried to explain, as honestly as he could. “We just… it’s been weird, being separated? And it’s brought some things up, and things are different, and we’re just… getting used to that.”

“Huh?”

No one echoed Jounouchi’s confusion, but Yuugi felt it all around him as he kept his gaze down… until Honda jumped in, finally breaking his silence to ask, “Really? Because you don't have much longer _to_ get used to things, right? And in the meantime, you're–”

Honda cut himself off. Grimaced. Stared abashed at Yuugi.

At whatever he saw written across Yuugi’s face when he heard Honda’s words and looked up, into his eyes, his chest tight and clogged and silent.

…No one said anything. Everyone… just sat there, waiting for someone else to talk first.

…And finally, Yuugi did it for them. Spit out the only thing he could think to say. The only thing that mattered.

“He’s leaving.”

Jounouchi kept frowning, Bakura kept staring, and Honda… nodded… looked down into his own bento, his jaw tight and set.

Anzu’s hand squeezed. “We know, Yuugi-kun.”

Yuugi shook his head, eyes drifting back down to the floor– to the roof below them. “He’s leaving– soon. July 24th… There’s a flight set.”

Anzu’s hand pulsed… then let go.

Yuugi barely even felt it.

“Is that why…”

Yuugi nodded thoughtlessly… only for his brows to knit as he actually registered the words, their lack of meaning, and their source.

He shifted his gaze to the speaker right along with everyone else.

“Why what, Bakura?”

Bakura… he must have been mumbling to himself. That could be the only explanation for the way he stopped frowning at his sweet bun to toss a confused look Honda’s way, seemingly baffled by the question.

When his blue eyes drifted across the group, however, they stuttered upon meeting Yuugi’s own.

He hesitated. Something in Yuugi’s eyes caught him, and… Bakura frowned, lowering his bun as he admitted, “I wasn't sure if I should say anything, but… Atem looked really unhappy this morning, Yuugi-kun.”

_…Oh._

Yuugi wasn’t sure what he expected, but still his shoulders dropped a little with the answer. And when he nodded, it was with his gaze set blindly on Bakura’s chest, not his face. “I’m not surprised. He… I wouldn’t say he regrets anything, but I think he feels bad about having to go.”

About turning away.

About turning from what they felt… what they _both_ felt. Yuugi was sure of that much, if nothing else… sweet, barbed comfort though it was.

 _“Oh._ That’s… okay. If you say so. It really didn’t look like guilt or anything to me, though.”

Yuugi… looked back up.

And Bakura looked right back at him, gaze steady as a calm sea… but that just confused Yuugi all the more. Why was he so certain? What had he seen? “What do you mean?”

Bakura just shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s hard to describe. He just looked like he was… struggling?” He frowned at his own description, apparently deeming it wrong– but that didn’t stop Yuugi from starting. Sitting a little straighter. Not breathing. “No, not struggling. Just… unhappy, or… unsatisfied. Yes– that was more it. Unsatisfied.” He nodded, apparently satisfied himself with the found word.

…But that didn’t make sense.

Or– no, maybe it did. Just because Atem made his choice didn’t mean he had to like the options he had to choose from. That didn’t mean he–

“It was behind your back, too. Before he noticed I was there,” Bakura went on. “And he tensed up the moment he saw me looking at him, like he was trying to hide it.”

“Hide what?”

Bakura shrugged again for Jounouchi’s question, remaining silent.

They _all_ fell silent… as Yuugi stared at nothing. At the memories in his own head… at the image Bakura had just conjured. At the idea he just presented.

…He could be wrong. Bakura just– might be reading Atem wrong. _Or…_ Bakura could be _right,_ but Yuugi could still be, too. Maybe… maybe Atem wasn’t happy about this. That matched his behavior, after all. Maybe he saw how _Yuugi_ felt, and regretted it. Maybe he regretted that it had all come to this. But Bakura said it didn't look like guilt, so maybe… he even… maybe he even _did_ want more?

But… that wasn’t the same as regretting his decision, wanting to take it back, or changing his mind. That didn’t mean Atem was willing to do anything differently. That he didn't still… consider this best…

He said that he was satisfied. That he considered more unwise. That _what they had already…_

…

But Atem had lied.

When Yuugi asked if he wanted things to stay the same, Atem had _lied._

…Yuugi had thought that lie had been for Atem’s own sake. That he didn't want to face the fallout from doing anything differently between them… but how could Yuugi be sure? How could he be _sure_ that Atem actually…

…He couldn’t.

He _couldn’t._

Not without…

“…Hey, guys?”

The group stirred out of their individual thoughts and turned curious, uncertain eyes on Yuugi.

He set his rice ball aside and looked about the group, his hands still and loose and relaxed on his knees. “Would you let Otogi-kun know I’ll be a little late this evening, getting to the mall? I need to stop by my place first.”

They– looked at one another, expressions shifting through veiled hope and veiled concern as Anzu asked, “Do you want us to come with you?”

“No, it’s fine.” Yuugi shook his head, his gaze heavy… but determined. “There’s just something I need to check.”

* * *

“Thank you, please come again,” Atem parroted with practiced ease, passing a plastic bag jangling with loose game pieces to a customer – another passing face in an endless stream who tossed him a thoughtless smile before turning to leave.

Atem watched the latest one go, and while he hadn’t been actively smiling in the first place, his expression still shifted the moment there was no one looking at him. His attentive, ready gaze faded into nothing as he stared blankly ahead, at the door beyond the sparse, shifting crowd in the game shop.

He stared at nothing at all, the chatter around him and the dull pounding behind his eyes nothing but something to count the seconds by.

The seconds ticked on.

“Atem-kun! Get me the green dice set from under the counter, will you? The transparent ones?”

He shifted his focus to discover Sugoroku looking back at him from across the room, and over the shoulder of a young boy– a heavy furrow over his bright plum eyes.

Atem turned away from that look to pull a set of keys out of his pocket and unlock the display case, fishing out the named dice before walking them over to the shopkeeper. “Here.”

Sugoroku accepted them with a nod and a frown, then went back to discussing something with the curious-eyed young boy standing between them. They were talking about the sale they were having next week on board games… but Atem didn’t linger to hear the details. He turned to walk back to the counter.

He never made it that far.

“Welcome to Kame Game! We’ll be right w– Yuugi?” Atem froze, spun around as Sugoroku recovered from his usual greeting and asked, “What are you doing here? Atem-kun said you’d be out tonight.”

Yuugi didn’t reply at first. He just… stood there, hovering in the shop door, his hand keeping it propped open as he stared right at him.

At Atem.

And Atem couldn't find the voice to echo Sugoroku’s question. One look into those steady, intent eyes, and his heart seized.

_What–_

Yuugi didn’t answer his silent question. Perhaps Atem never unfroze enough to properly ask it.

No, he just kept _looking_ at him for… what was likely seconds, but it felt like hours passed before an older gentlemen came up behind Yuugi and quietly asked to get into the shop. Yuugi offered the man a quick glance and apology before stepping inside, clearing the way for the customer to enter as Yuugi himself turned to his grandfather, freeing Atem to breathe outside of the snare of his gaze.

“Sorry, _Jii-chan,_ I know it’s busy in here right now, but could I borrow Atem?”

–He choked.

Sugoroku shifted, but Atem couldn’t see his expression. He couldn’t pull his eyes away from Yuugi.

And Yuugi was looking at him again, silently asking him the same question he said aloud to his grandfather. “Just five minutes, okay?”

Atem didn’t give as clear a response as Sugoroku’s hesitant, “Go ahead, then.” But when Yuugi moved to the back door of the shop, only to turn and look back at him? That same quiet, hyper-resolve in his eyes?

Atem… followed.

* * *

Nothing was said as they moved through the house, up the stairs, and into the bedroom. Yuugi led the way, held the door open for Atem when he trailed in after him.

As soon as he was inside, Yuugi shut it… and lingered, his hand on the knob, his back to his other self.

Atem stood near the desk. Stared at his partner. Waited…

…

His fingers spasmed, formed loose fists at his side. _“Aibou?”_

Yuugi sucked in a breath. Quiet, but audible, and _long_ … then let go of the knob. Turned, and leaned back against the door, his head against the wood as his eyes met Atem’s.

Atem stared, searched… and Yuugi gave back nothing but a simple, quiet, “I want to talk about it.”

Crimson eyes narrowed– then went wide with understanding… froze with trapped awareness.

But still, Atem nodded. “Sure, if you want. I said I wanted to. But why would that only take a minute? I know there isn’t much to be done, but–”

“Because it shouldn’t take long,” Yuugi interrupted… his eyes drifting down to the carpet between them as a frown rose to his face. “Not for me, at least.”

Atem mirrored his frown, but said nothing. Simply watched… waiting for an opening. For a sign of what his partner meant.

And for some seconds Yuugi kept frowning, kept avoiding him… and then he sucked in another breath, and looked up, his eyes sparking and shaking yet _fixed_ and– “I just have one question, okay? One question. If I get that answer, I’ll be satisfied. Anything beyond that? That _you_ want to ask? I’ll answer. If not now, then later. Tonight, or whenever you want. But I just want you to answer this _one_ question for me, right now. Okay?”

Atem’s expression smoothed out with the strange pitch, eyes caught, touched with intrigue– but his hands were still clenching to white knuckles as he nodded. “Okay.”

Yuugi echoed the nod, his gaze dipping low again… but he squashed down the doubt and nerves visibly rising within him by forcing his eyes right back up, pinning Atem in place. “I heard what you said about not wanting more. About being happiest staying as we are, so long as you’re still here… but I know I didn’t imagine things, either. I _know_ what it meant, the way you looked at me that night.”

Atem started tensing as the context of Yuugi’s comments became clear, but the moment he uttered _that–_ Atem went still. His gaze grew shuttered, and he just… stared… tense… a bulwark waiting for Yuugi’s attack.

And Yuugi looked right back at him, unfazed. “But you want to let it go. To _talk_ about it, sure, but not _do_ anything about it. You said you want things to stay the same. To keep the same kind of love between us.” Yuugi’s chin tipped up, just a bit, when he uttered that word. As though daring Atem react to it. To give it the emphasis Yuugi didn’t in his natural spiel.

Atem did. His poker face remained in place… but it flickered. Caught on the word and the look in his partner’s eye. _He_ was caught, by him.

By Yuugi, waiting for his answer.

…Atem swallowed, and finally nodded. “That’s right.”

Again, Yuugi mimicked him… then, he stood straight. Slid away from the door. Moved a step closer to Atem, then two… and then he stalled. Stared at his other self. Didn’t… didn’t even dare to blink, a shakiness slowly creeping across his composure. “Did you mean it?”

Atem flinched through a flailing disbelief. _“Aibou,_ I wouldn’t lie–”

“That’s my question,” Yuugi murmured, the bare whisper stealing Atem’s words and leaving them to crumble on the floor as his partner… looked at him, swimming violets shifting between Atem’s eyes in search of– of– “Did you say those things because it will be easier _for you_ if things stay the same between us? If we don’t…” He waved between them with a short jerk of the hand, leaving it to fall to his side. Trembling. “Go down that road? Is _that_ what will make _you_ happy? Leave… leave you happiest in the end?”

Atem… His eyes strained to widen, his features twitched to twist, his mouth fought to furl. He clung to his composure–

And it showed in every inch of his face.

And Yuugi watched it all, but he didn’t comment on the front, or its futility.

He just _implored_ by gaze alone.

_Please._

And Atem tried to swallow it down, his words hollow but _insistent._ “It’s not that simple.”

And something bright and stunned shot through Yuugi’s gaze.

He whispered, “Then… no?”

Atem shook his head– not to confirm, but to deny. He looked away as he tried to protest, muttering that one word, _“Aibou…”_ to no avail.

Yuugi took one step closer, his gaze unbent and unrelenting and collapsing all at once as he _begged,_ “Atem, _please,_ if it’s not true, if you _actually_ want–”

Atem grimaced, teeth sliding over each other to come apart. And then they did, and– “How could it _ever make me happy_ if it ends up hurting you?!”

Those words… crashed about the room, and fell… leaving nothing in their wake.

Nothing but Yuugi, stopped in his tracks, washed clean of everything save an unbreathing shock, and Atem… his twisted frustration bled into a slow, rising horror.

For his own words.

For what he just said.

For what Yuugi _heard_ him say.

And Yuugi… as he stared into that horror? Watched it dawn across his other self’s face? Watched Atem recover and grit his teeth and strive to rise above it?

Yuugi… something inside Yuugi fell into place. Slid snugly into that last hole in his understanding and… left him whole.

He went soft from the inside out, his shoulders and his hands and his face and his eyes and his everything all relaxing, warming… as Atem went stiff with the sight. His eyes grew wary, _watching…_ but he did not move. Not even when Yuugi took another step forward. Moved closer, and breathed, “Why do you think that?”

“Why _wouldn’t_ I think that?” Atem countered, desperate frustration twisting across his face even as– as Yuugi edged closer to him. “Even if you are comfortable with… _that…_ wouldn’t that just hurt you more in the end?”

Yuugi stopped. Stalled just two arm lengths’ short of Atem, looked down at the thin breadth of carpet left between them, and considered. Considered the distant, but not-so-far-away eventuality of the man before him, leaving.

Gone forever.

…

He wasn’t sure how that could ever hurt _more,_ but he nodded. Allowed for it. “Maybe… _probably…”_

In his periphery, he saw Atem’s hands relax– no, go limp. And when Yuugi looked up, Atem’s expression had gone slack, shifted back to that sober acceptance Yuugi knew all too well.

But it was wiped away the second Yuugi added, “But, just because it would hurt more? That doesn’t mean it wouldn’t make me happy.”

The film that had slid over those deep red eyes burnt up in a flash, and Atem– he stared at Yuugi like he was… _Yuugi was…_ like Yuugi was leading Atem somewhere he was afraid to go. Afraid to believe was real, only to be proven wrong.

But Yuugi wasn’t afraid.

He took a step forward, stood just an arm’s length away, and looked his other self in the eye. “You didn’t answer me.”

And Atem… he wouldn’t flinch. Wouldn’t look away, wouldn’t _run_ away. Yuugi trusted that.

But he saw what it cost him. That extraordinary composure of his… it held, but Atem– he was slowly collapsing within its walls, his expression holding but his _eyes…_

Just as Yuugi was begging, _pleading_ with him… Atem was pleading with him, too.

“What could I do?” he whispered, the defiance in his voice shriveling, _dying–_ and Yuugi grit his teeth against whimpering at the sound of it. “Things like that… I don’t know much of anything, but I know that _that_ should be built on hope, and promises… and a future… and I’ve broken enough promises to you already.”

And Yuugi, he felt dizzy with it– Atem’s struggle. Was nearly dragged down right along with him–

Until he said _that._

Yuugi’s face relaxed completely as he blurt out, “You haven’t broken any promises to me,” without even stopping to think about it.

But he didn’t need to. He stood by it, and when Atem showed doubt, even _anger,_ asked, “How can you–” Yuugi… he just smiled. Interrupted him easily, tender sincerity behind every word.

“You always told me what you _wanted,_ _mou hitori no boku,_ not what you could give me. And… and you trusted me to do the same. And to offer what I _could_ give in return. And– that’s what I want now. I want–” Yuugi… swallowed, tried again, “I don’t…”

But he couldn’t stifle it. It had been easy to ignore it when he was so focused on Atem, but his own emotions finally caught up to him, stuck in his throat and tangled in his head and– and he squeezed his eyes shut against it, against the sight of his other self’s growing alarm, his hand twitching towards Yuugi.

…When Yuugi gathered himself, and looked again… Atem’s hand was back at his side.

He dismissed it, looked his other self straight in the eye, and pressed on. “You’ve always been better at this than me– been better at facing what you want… what’s true between us… whatever the cost… So _please,_ don’t stop now.” Yuugi smiled through the plea, and the blur in his eyes that he would _not_ let overflow. No– Not. Not now. “Because _I_ promise _you,_ I won’t turn away again. I just… I don’t want to face this alone.”

But there was nothing for it. The burn in his eyes kept growing.

 _–No._ No, he hadn’t meant to… he didn’t want to say it this way. He didn’t want to devolve to this, to Atem responding to him because _he cried–_

But, bless him, even as Yuugi saw it? _Saw_ Atem thawing at the sight of tears gathering in Yuugi’s eyes? The muscles loosening across his face and form and _shaking_ with the rare release of tension? He… Atem still didn’t move. Didn’t even really react. He was… still trying… and when he swallowed, looked away from Yuugi, and whispered? That weak murmur was still steady. Still resolute. Still… so very wonderfully him. Even as it overflowed with care and kindness and regret and defeat and affection and– _and–_ “I don’t want this for you… I don’t want you to endure any more than you have to.”

…

…Yuugi… blinked, swallowed back his tears… and tipped forward one more half-step.

Close enough to bring those eyes back to his… by catching Atem’s jaw in his palm, and tilting his face back– to him.

Atem _finally_ flinched, and turned away– _into_ Yuugi’s hand. The fingers that curled beneath his ear. The thumb pressed against his cheek. And Yuugi… he brushed his thumb against that warm, shifting cheek. Stared into half-shut eyes that refused to meet his… and asked, “Shouldn’t that be my choice? My call to make? To decide whether it’s worth it or not?”

And still, Atem would not look at him… but Yuugi saw it, just before he shut his eyes and bent his head further into his palm.

A shock. A wonder. A… softening…

Atem would not give, but he accepted. And Yuugi– he _gave._ He fell into the opening, let the proximity and the contact and the allowance lull him into murmuring on, and– “Because it’s one thing if you’re just worried about that, and my feelings, and a whole other if it’s about what _you_ think. In that case, then…” He worked around some word, shutting his eyes and breathing in low and deep to finally gather the thought and force it out and– “I accepted letting this all go myself, because I thought… I didn't even know what I thought at first, but I _knew_ I was right, that you… But I thought maybe you didn’t want it. How you felt. That you didn’t want _this.”_

He heard it– Atem sucking in a sharp, sudden breath, the jaw under his fingers clenching.

But Yuugi didn’t look. He just rushed right on, into the truth. “–No matter how you felt, and that you liked us as we were, or that _you_ might not think it’s worth the pain to change it. That staying as we were would honestly make you happiest. That you… didn’t _like…_ having these feelings– or that _maybe_ I _was_ just wrong, and you _didn’t_ feel that way about me, and–”

A warm pressure squeezed his wrist.

Yuugi opened his eyes.

Atem was looking right back at him.

Yuugi’s words dissolved between his tongue and the roof of his mouth, and he just… he was caught. Caught by wide, alert, stunning, focused, bright and _utterly set_ eyes.

Atem’s voice was as insistent as his gaze. “You know that isn't true.”

Yuugi breathed in, and… did not breathe out again… did not look away, or even blink.

And neither did Atem… and Yuugi saw it second-for-second as his own words came back to Atem, and… he melted.

_Surrendered._

And every time Yuugi’s rushing heart beat out that question, _Did he mean it?_ **_Did_ ** _he?_ Atem answered… with a look. A glance. A… it was… he was _really looking at him_ like he…

His cheek was warm. Nearly as warm as his eyes.

Nearly as warm as the hand that slid up _his_ hand… to keep him right where he was.

Just like that night.

Just like when… they…

Yuugi didn’t think. He could _feel_ thought scraping up, right on the heels of the impulse that came before it.

Yuugi outran it, and– took that last step.

He kissed him.

There was a tight pressure and a heavy breath against Yuugi's mouth and that hand over his spasmed, clutched and… _and…_ warmth. A warmth so good it felt _cool_ between his lips, and he was… floating… hovering somewhere in the air as he stopped _pressing_ so hard and drifted back just far enough for mouths to only brush, for breath to mingle, for his nose to catch the edge of Atem’s nose, and it tickled and– and there were fingers catching at his elbow, holding on, and Yuugi couldn’t stop _shivering_ and– and…

And… he was… he _just…_

…

Thought caught up to him.

…

…Yuugi… stepped back… and opened his eyes.

Atem looked… quiet. That was the only word for it, for the faint flush to his cheeks and the breathless, dazed eyes that only half opened… not really seeing anything at all. Not even him.

And Yuugi, he felt it– felt his face _burn_ and his chest ache and knew Atem was little better, because he _just– They_ **_just–_ **

And then Atem _did_ look at him.

And it snapped.

The dizzy balance tipped. Atem’s gasp made _him_ gasp and Yuugi _felt_ it all on his face, Atem’s breath and his own bouncing back together and making his face freeze _and_ burn and Atem’s eyes fluttered in a weird way and Yuugi couldn’t think straight and he could hear his pulse pounding against his ear and he just _did that_ and–

“Sorry.” It was… him. Yuugi said that. Mumbled it, but still the word echoed back at him as Atem blinked wide, and flushed a deeper red, and– “I should have… Should’ve–”

Should have asked first, should have asked if Atem wanted that, should have been _sure_ Yuugi understood him right, and– and Yuugi had never looked away, not even for a second. But it still took the tight clench of Atem’s hand to alert Yuugi to the shift. To… his other self… staring him in the eye again… breathless and stunned and shivering and so, _so_ bright.

Atem mumbled only a single word. _“Don’t.”_

It was… all Yuugi needed. The rest he found when he shut his mouth, and _looked…_ **_looked_** at Atem. At the man clutching him close… gasping at his fingertips… looking at him like he… like he was drowning, and Yuugi was air.

Or was that just Yuugi's own need echoing back at him?

It didn’t matter. Yuugi swallowed tight, breathed around the full feeling in his chest… and stepped back in.

Atem met him halfway.

His mouth _clashed_ with his halfway, then shifted– worked, grappled for the right give of angle and pressure that quickly became all about the journey as Atem gripped him tight, but Yuugi reclaimed his hands not to touch but _clutch,_ hold a shoulder from behind, anchor on a back, and– and he couldn’t _breathe._ The cool heat of a mouth he couldn’t leave and wouldn’t leave _him_ claimed half his air, and the _arms that wound about him and pulled him close_ stole the rest. The Puzzle’s edges dug into his stomach and _he didn’t care,_ he was just– he was foggy and dizzy and thoughtless, save for a single fragment of a thought that managed to link to another, and–

He was kissing him.

He was _kissing Atem._

 **_Atem_ ** _was kissing_ **_him._ **

And he– Yuugi never even _managed_ it properly, because he couldn’t… he… he couldn’t… stop smiling.

Couldn’t stop _smiling…_ into the kiss. His kiss with… his kiss with _Atem…_

And– and when he tried to press through? Keep kissing regardless? He– he felt it.

Atem’s lips. Thin, pinched together, curling wide and tight.

He was smiling, too.

The breath Yuugi couldn’t find choked up all at once and he gasped out a _giggle– and–_

And Atem shuddered under his hands and against his chest and no sound came out but he was _laughing, too,_ and Yuugi pulled back to _see_ it, and– and…

_They…_

Atem… smiling at the end of his nose, shining and… and… and so _happy,_ and–

And finally the tears came.

But they didn’t hurt, and Atem just went still, turned to soft dew when Yuugi kept smiling through them.

He _stared_ at him, _so…_ Yuugi’s chest felt hot, and so sweetly heavy, and he _shook_ when Atem slid a hand up the give of his spine, to his neck… held him still as he leaned in close again.

Yuugi shuddered into the kiss, and they were both still smiling.

They were persistent, and their contact outlasted their giddiness, but… but they had no idea what they were doing. They pressed too hard, and Yuugi’s mouth felt numb, his teeth digging into his lip. He drifted back, Atem lightened up– and they had no anchor for how to meet. Their lips ghosted over each other, _slipped_ on each other, found each other again– only to grapple for any sense of what to _do_ with one another.

They didn’t know. They had no idea… but it was just so soft… careful… _tingly…_

It was the best thing Yuugi had ever felt in his life.

When they finally eased off, stepped back, gasping, just to _stare_ at one another across the bare space they allowed between them? They just… they _beamed,_ lost and weightless and lingering… and Yuugi allowed Atem a moment _just_ long enough to trace his smile with a dark thumb… and then he leaned in again.

Atem’s warm, relieved breath against his mouth instantly became his _new_ best thing.

And he– he would’ve surely found ten _more_ things to displace _that,_ but… but Yuugi had asked for five minutes. And he’d just discovered the astounding concept of claiming one lip over the other via _Atem_ catching his bottom lip, when–

“Boys!! Are you up there?!”

They came loose with a gasp, _panting–_ but Atem didn’t let go. He held onto him, _clutched_ him– and Yuugi was no better, pressing his face to Atem’s warm neck as he waited for his pulse to calm, and– and he breathed in greedily. Yes, he– Atem _did_ still smell the same.

Hands and arms slid across his back, gathered him close and–

“Answer me if you're there! _Otou-san_ is handling four customers on his own! Will you–”

“I’ll be right down!” Atem called over his shoulder, his embrace tightening in a sharp counter to his words. And Yuugi had to smile for it, even as he put both hands to Atem’s shoulders… and stepped slowly back.

Atem did not keep him. Not against his clear will. His hands released Yuugi as he went, and… and when Yuugi could see him properly, his eyes were still dazed, and he was breathing heavily, and as he looked back at Yuugi–

They… stared at each other… shaken, like they had just weathered a storm… dazzled, as though they'd just witnessed a miracle.

And Yuugi… he chanced a small, checking smile, and everything righted itself, _proved_ itself true when Atem returned it instantly, eyes warm… and checking, as he glanced between the door and his partner.

“I can… make up some excuse, and come back?” he suggested, and while Yuugi’s heart did a funny little somersault at the proof Atem _wanted_ to– to get back to him… he shook his head.

“I need to get to the mall. I promised…” And it was so hard to care, save Atem was needed downstairs _anyways,_ so… And Atem was nodding, expression blanking over with a clear effort _to_ clear his mind, prepare himself to leave– but he blinked rapidly back to the present when Yuugi stumbled on with a quiet, “Can we… talk later?”

Atem… the smile he gave him made Yuugi want to forget it all and bury himself right back in his arms. But Atem nodded again, slower this time, fingers ghosting over Yuugi’s cheek and making him shiver. _“Absolutely.”_

And Yuugi… he mirrored that look right back at him.

The relief… The trusting hope.

There would be nothing to dread in speaking this time, he knew it.

And Yuugi closed the distance between them, _tugged_ Atem to him by the straps of his shop apron, and kissed him again.

It sparked through Yuugi's skin just like the others, and Atem jerked with the shock of it, but was quick to soften and reach for him… and stumble and grapple for air when Yuugi let go and stepped backwards out of his reach.

Yuugi turned and rushed out the door before the need to stay could grab him, stumbled down the hall, the stairs, the image of Atem’s floundering, flushed face preserved in his mind– a reckless, gasping mess of a laugh tumbling out of him as he ran.

“Finally, what were you– Yuugi-kun!” Yui cried as her son came into view only to run right past her, _giggling._ “Where are you going?!”

“Sorry, Mama! Gotta run!”

“What, why would…?” she asked, only to trail off at the bang of the front door… she didn’t have long to glower, though, because steps behind her alerted her to a second approach, and she turned and– “Atem-kun, where is Yuugi-kun going?”

Atem… he was walking slowly down the stairs, but he stalled completely at the question, looked at her like he only just noticed she was there… and _beamed,_ smiled so wide his lips should have split, all astonished delight, and– _“Aibou_ has gone to the mall. He’s helping our friends tonight, but he’ll be back! He’ll be…” he trailed off and stared down the hall the way Yuugi had gone with a breathless, stunned sort of wonder… before blinking himself back into his smile and rushing into motion– stepping past Yui. “I’ll be in the shop helping _Jii-chan!_ Are you coming?”

“What? It– no, I need to start dinner.”

“Alright! I’ll see you later, then!” Atem called, leaving Yui blinking in his wake as he disappeared down the shop hallway.

…Yui stared after him, then turned to peer the direction Yuugi just had gone… then turned again to stare up the stairs.

Finally, she just shook her head, at a loss– but she smiled to herself as she walked into the kitchen.

No matter what, it looked like everything was back to normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Closing Chapter Music:** [Halo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL98tDiIOlI&index=20&list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z) by Kris Orlowski  
>     
>  **[twitter](https://twitter.com/Phoebeus14) :: [tumblr blog](http://bitterseaproduction.tumblr.com/) :: [music](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z) :: [ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/phoebeus)**


	13. Reflection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY NEW YEAR! Want a mini-update as a present?
> 
> I was originally going to post this AT midnight (and finish replying to comments first) buuuut I have a party tonight, so I figured better today than tomorrow? xD Excuse me while that makes me a bit of a liar on the 'no more updates this year' thing. Pretend it's January 1st with me, will you?
> 
> But, seriously- this year brought a lot of troubles and trials on a number of levels, but writing wise and fandom wise? For me it's been one of the best, and I just want to take a moment to thank everyone for that. I got a couple of new projects, got TDWC done, got the hang of writing smaller stuff, and THIS. Reconfiguration... which is officially half-done. You can consider this chapter the intermission before Act 2, and boy- I just hope the second half is as fun to write as the first, but I'm sure it will be, because it was amazing in no small part thanks to the readers.
> 
> So, again? Thank you.
> 
> Let's make 2018 an awesome one.
> 
>  **Music:** [Arctic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhDN2GHPvgA&list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z&index=21) by Sleeping At Last

_ “Tadaima…”  _ Yuugi murmured as he slipped through his bedroom door, calling the greeting as loudly as he dared with his mother and grandfather only one or two rooms over, beyond thin walls. It was well past eleven, and there had been no one and nothing to meet him at the front door save a single hall light, left on for his sake… so his family was surely asleep.

But still Yuugi expected an answer  _ there, _ in his own room.  _ Anticipated _ it really, a shy, private little grin on his face as he slipped inside and dropped his bag by the door.

But there was no reply. Nothing met his call save the ticking of his alarm clock… and it didn’t take long to figure out why. Yuugi stood confused at the door only a moment before he found his roommate… and then all he could do was stare. 

Atem… he was on his bed. Curled tight on his side, halfway on his stomach, his head right at the foot with that familiar crown of hair blocking most of his face from view.

…Yuugi crept closer, not saying a word, and stood where he could see his other self by the light of his left-on desk lamp.

Atem’s eyes were shut, mouth slightly open, and he… his head was resting in the crook of his own arm.

Yuugi took in the sight, the book left open at Atem’s elbow, the Puzzle resting beside it, the fact he was still dressed from the day… and a smile slowly edged its way across his face.

_ You finally got to sleep, huh? _

It looked like it… and it looked like he hadn’t even intended it. Atem had… he had clearly meant to stay up,  _ wait _ for him, but his lost sleep had finally caught up to him, and now–

Yuugi shook his head, and turned, moved to his dresser and fished out a frayed, worn out blue comforter patterned with pirate ships all along its hem– an old thing from his elementary days that he only pulled out now on the coldest of winter nights, when he needed an extra layer on the bed. 

It would do.

He quietly shook the blanket out, and returned to Atem’s side to drape it carefully over him– book, Puzzle and all. 

He didn’t stir. Just dozed right on, none the wiser.

And Yuugi… knelt at his own bedside, crossing his arms on its edge and resting his chin on his wrist… as he gazed into that sleeping face. 

Still silent… just watching.

He wouldn’t even consider waking Atem after all of his lost sleep, but he could at least  _ look _ at him. Look at him… and consider all that had happened. Everything they had said… what they had shared earlier that night.

Atem… he’d  _ kissed _ Atem… and he’d kissed him back. Had… been just as happy about it as Yuugi had been, and… 

Yuugi bit his lip and pressed his mouth into his arm, as though Atem might somehow  _ hear _ the smile spreading across his face. 

He couldn’t believe it. He just  _ couldn’t believe it.  _ They’d… He’d…  _ they were…  _

…There were just no words for it. Nothing that could fully capture what Yuugi felt, kneeling there, listening to his other self breathe, tracing every soft, sharp, defined edge of Atem’s face with his eyes as he just… thought about it. It was the first chance Yuugi had had to really do that– think about it. He’d just been moving and  _ reacting _ the entire day, from the moment his friends first confronted him at lunch. First… made him realize… 

…He needed to thank them for that, somehow.

But he hadn’t told them anything. When he got to the mall, he’d just said everything was fine. That they had worked things out. 

And Honda and Anzu and Otogi had all stared at him like they  _ knew _ he was holding back– but even they’d just echoed Jounouchi and Bakura’s relieved comments, said they were ‘glad they worked it out’ and that ‘everything was good again’ and… it was, wasn’t it? It  _ was _ good.  _ They _ were good.

They were… they  _ were _ good…  _ more _ than good.

And he was still grinning that loud grin, but Yuugi  _ still just couldn’t believe it, _ because– because if anyone had asked Yuugi a week ago if he could have  _ ever  _ imagined  _ this _ happening, then–

Then… 

…Then, maybe he would have thought of it sooner?

It had been true all along, after all. He’d… that warm, wet weight in his chest had been there a  _ long, _ long time. Yuugi just… he’d just ignored it, been so  _ blind _ to it… just as he had been blind to what Atem had actually been thinking for the whole week. What he’d been feeling.

…Yuugi’s smile finally mellowed as he raised his head, rested it back on his wrist as he stared into eyes that were shut. Whispered without words.  

_ I’m sorry _ …  _ I’m sorry I didn’t see… I  _ **_knew_ ** _ you were struggling, but I just… I knew you were upset, but I was wrong about why. I got stuck on what you told me, and… I thought you were worried about  _ **_me_ ** _ and how I felt about things… about them staying the same. I thought you saw through me. I thought you  _ **_might_ ** _ want more, too, but not… not as much as… you wanted things to stay the same. _

_ But I was wrong. You  _ **_were_ ** _ just worried about me, weren’t you? And about what would happen to us and… suffering all on your own over it… and if I had just gotten out of my own head for a second, I might have seen that myself. _

_ I just… honestly? I never thought I could be this  _ **_lucky._ ** _  That I wouldn’t just know, but be  _ **_liked_ ** _ by someone… someone as amazing as you. That just seemed so impossible… and you’d snap at me if you heard me put it that way, wouldn’t you? _

Yuugi actually  _ did _ have to stifle himself that time, the urge to snicker was so sharp and sudden… though not as strong as the urge to reach out and make Atem look at him, smile at him– to touch him and hold him and bury himself back in his arms, just like before. 

But Yuugi stayed where he was, kneeling at the bedside, and just… settled for smiling, and thinking about what might come next. He hadn’t really thought about that part, after all. He’d just been reacting, unable to bear the thought of Atem enduring what  _ he _ had been enduring, and… and Yuugi honestly had no idea what to expect. What they would do. He’d never really considered the details of being  _ with _ somebody before! Much less a  _ guy… _ and much less  _ Atem…  _

But that was okay. Yuugi didn’t have to know. He’d go to sleep, and in the morning? Atem would be there, still wanting him.

So Yuugi… lingered. Stared into that sleeping face until that warm feeling inside of him settled and the tears dried in his eyes. 

Then he stood up, brushed off his knees, and went to fetch the futon, a smile, small and true, stamped permanently on his face.

* * *

Atem breathed in too deep, sniffed– and opened his eyes.

The room was dark, and all at the wrong angle… that was the first thing he noticed. 

The second was that he shouldn’t be awake. 

He couldn’t see the clock, but it had to be really late… or else really early. The room was cool in that way it only really got in the earliest part of the morning, before the sun showed itself, and Atem could feel the chill of it even through the blanket.

The… 

Atem blinked… and tilted his head, eying the blanket wrapped around him. 

It was too dark to see it properly, but… but it had to be– 

…

He rolled onto his stomach, scooched his way to the edge of the bed, and looked over the side.

He was there, tucked into Atem’s futon, face hidden in Atem’s pillow.

_ Yuugi… _ asleep.

…And as the synapses in his head sparked to life and started firing, Atem processed that fact, and what it meant, and his disorientation gave way to wistful sentiment.

_ Aibou…  _

He was sluggish about it, still half-caught in the grip of sleep, but slowly Atem righted himself, found the floor with his feet… and slid down to sit in the bare space left between futon and bed. He pulled the comforter along with him, kept it around his shoulders as he stared at his partner, his face softly lit by the dim glow coming through the repaired skylight. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for Atem as he considered Yuugi… and the wordless, dizzy feeling still echoing through his bones– the same one that had been there the entire evening and later in the night, as he waited for his partner to come back.

He had, clearly. But Atem hadn’t been there to greet him, to look Yuugi in the eye again and embrace the proof that he hadn’t just imagined it all. Yuugi had  _ really _ come home after school that day, just to talk to him. To confront him, and everything between them, and then he’d  _ actually–  _

…Atem smiled until it ached, just remembering.

He was still processing it, still reeling from his own feelings, and still trying to believe it. 

He had… he had  _ honestly _ feared Yuugi wouldn't return his feelings. 

He hadn’t let himself think about that too directly the last week, but it was true. Yuugi liked  _ girls, _ after all, and Anzu, and– yes, Atem knew Yuugi’s heart and memories well enough that liking a boy was honestly a rather benign surprise next to everything else, but still– the very idea that Yuugi could and  _ did _ think of  _ him _ that way, despite their bond and its nature? When Atem had opened himself up to that possibility – that  _ hope _ – it had just… it just seemed too late. He was still going to leave, and… and how could he do that to Yuugi? How could he expect him to… 

…But no, whether it was the fear of rejection, or having to see his partner in pain? Even if that was what  _ Yuugi himself chose, _ all on his own? Atem… he hadn’t wanted to see it. Endure it. And he’d been running, acting the coward. He could see that now. 

And in the end, he just hurt Yuugi with his denial.

_ I’m sorry, aibou, _ he thought, swearing to himself that he would repeat the words later, when Yuugi could hear him. He deserved that much from him. His apology… and his thanks. His gratitude for being so brave, for the both of them.

_ I won’t run again, _ he swore, his gaze scouring over Yuugi’s face in a poor substitute for the touch he’d love to give, the kisses he had just… discovered… but he wouldn’t dare disturb his partner’s rest, or this quiet, close reprieve.  _ I won’t turn away anymore. I’ll give you the truth you ask for, whatever may come of it. If it’s what you want, then it’s the least I can do… and so much more than I could have ever hoped for. _

And he smiled again with the thought– with the weight of his own good fortune. 

His hand itched to reach out, to grab and hold the hand curled by his partner’s face, or brush his fingers over the cheek turned up towards him, until Yuugi stirred and looked at him. Met his smile. 

But he didn’t need to. The certainty in his heart that Yuugi  _ would _ smile? For him? For  _ true? _

That was enough.

And so Atem just sat there for awhile, that certainty sweet inside of him… until he finally felt ready to stand up. 

He returned to Yuugi’s bed, grabbed his partner’s pillow– and moved it. Shifted it to the end of the bed so that when he pushed aside his Puzzle and book, and lied back down over the covers, the old comforter wrapped about him, all he had to do was roll over… and he would see Yuugi.

Atem took full advantage of that, staring at his partner until his face was etched in his mind.

Only then did he shut his eyes, smiling as he floated away on air. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Music:** [Can't Help Falling In Love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqLU4wPzDVg&list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z&index=22) by Haley Reinhart
> 
>  
> 
> **[twitter](https://twitter.com/Phoebeus14) :: [tumblr blog](http://bitterseaproduction.tumblr.com/) :: [music](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z) :: [ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/phoebeus)**


	14. Saturday, June 27th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Music:** [Dango Daikazoku](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlgNA49E7lI&index=23&list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z) by Kyle Landry

The alarm buzzed, and Atem rolled over, tugging the blanket up around his ears to block out the sound. It didn’t work, of course, but a few seconds later, before his determination to stay curled beneath the covers could fade, it stopped.

Yuugi had turned it off.

That was the only _likely_ explanation, but Atem didn’t check… didn’t stir enough to question it, or the soft sounds at his back. He just slid back to the edge of sleep, where conscious thoughts could only drift, rise up, then float away again.

_It’s morning… aibou has school… that’s why the alarm went off… but I’ve got the day off… Jii-chan told me to do what I want… so no need to get up… unless aibou wants me to–_

–Atem opened his eyes and stared at the comforter pressed up against his nose and face.

_Aibou._

…Yuugi was… They’d–

Another quiet shuffle behind him of something being lifted off the ground, and Atem turned over– only to jerk back when something sharp poked him in the back.

The Puzzle.

He twisted around and pushed the Item – and the book beside it – out of the way, falling flat on his back when it was safe. Craning his chin up over the blanket edge, he blinked through the half-light streaming in through the repaired skylight, and… he was there. _Yuugi,_ standing at the foot of the bed his school clothes already on, his back turned, shrugging into his backpack, and–

 _“Aibou,”_ Atem murmured, the name shuddering out of him through a chest still tight with sleep and wonder and– and an overwhelming fear of his own reality. A fear that it might _crack,_ and prove unreal if he dared to even touch it.

But it remained. Yuugi turned around, found his eyes, and– mirrored his shock right back at him… for an instant. Then he smiled. A soft, shy, sweet thing that just kept growing as Atem watched. _“Hey.”_

“…Hey,” he echoed, breathless, fighting to sit up with the blanket still tangled about him.

But Yuugi was quicker. _He_ came to _him,_ kneeling down at the bedside with his arms crossed on the edge, right at Atem’s side.

Atem breathed sharply with the sheer nearness of it and stopped moving, still propped up on an elbow as he looked up into violet eyes, animated and curious as they searched his own. “Did I wake you up? Sorry… I wasn’t sure if I should let you sleep in or not.”

Atem… shook his head… his mind empty and fuzzed over as he breathed in Yuugi’s proximity, his nerves instantly _humming_ with it. “The alarm woke me up. I was just slow, getting up…”

Yuugi nodded, just a little, and… and there was nothing for Atem to do but lie there, his heart stuck on a high flutter as they just… looked at each other, and… nothing. That was it. Atem stared up into those eyes, Yuugi looked back at him, and they both waited, caught, and… smiling, surer and surer in their cheer as the seconds passed and they saw nothing in one another but the same cautious delight.

It fed Atem’s assurance, and finally, he dared to speak, his eyes ticking to the door only for a _second_ before sliding right back to Yuugi’s. “Can I… I’m still dressed,” he said, shifting to free himself from the covers and stand. “I’ll walk you to school.”

But Yuugi shook his head, his smile twitching and holding as he put a hand on Atem’s shoulder and held him still– _paralyzing_ him with a single touch. “It’s okay. You should get some more sleep. I’m running late, so I’ll have to book it. It won’t be much fun.”

Nothing but a mad rush to the bus stop, a crowded crush on an overpacked ride, and another all-out run to the gate. Atem knew it well.

Except Yuugi didn’t seem keen to start moving, and Atem… Atem couldn’t work up any proper reaction, even as he muttered, “I wanted to talk to you.” That hand, still pressed to his shoulder, stole far too much of his attention to leave room in his head for feelings like disappointment.

And the smile that unfolded on Yuugi’s face, full and bright, pushed out absolutely every other thought in Atem’s head. “Me too.”

And Atem fell into it, dragged out the moment and the smile as long as he dared… as Yuugi just, accepted it, met him glance for glance in an easy, unhurried silence… until Atem felt the edges of that wrinkled bliss smooth out, and he had to say _something._

He settled for a simple, “Then…?” as he arched a brow.

Yuugi’s grin curled. He shook his head as if to clear some fog from it, and released Atem’s shoulder. “I– get off early today, and we finished setting up Otogi-kun’s place yesterday, so… I’ll be free this afternoon?” Yuugi said it like it was a suggestion. A _hope._

And Atem lit up inside, and let it show as he rolled, shifting to his stomach where he could balance himself on his forearms and offer his partner a steady, upclose grin. “Good, and I’m off from shop duty today, so I can do whatever you like. I could meet you at the school after your classes are over, and we could go somewhere. Not just back home, but out somewhere else, where we can talk. Then maybe we could get some dinner afterwards, or just…”

Just… something shifted. At some point, while Atem tossed out eager notions, his partner’s smile fell. And it would have been a source of instant, unexpected alarm, except Yuugi had gone red. A streak of color ran across his face, cheek-to-cheek, just below wide, unblinking eyes… and as Atem fell uncertainly quiet, Yuugi spoke, and– “Go… like, on a date?”

…

If Atem’s mouth had been open, he would have choked on his own tongue.

As it was, his throat closed up, and he could only stare right back, fighting to even _swallow_ as he and Yuugi _looked_ at each other, both waiting, both _caught,_ and… and finally the fuse fizzling away in Atem’s head detonated, exploded heat in his veins, and boiled over in a quiet, thoughtless, “If you… like?”

Yuugi stared, the flush lingering in his cheek, but his gaze grew serious as he _insisted,_ “Is that what you meant?”

Atem… couldn’t process the question properly. He could only twist his mouth into uttering, “We… need to talk–” before falling back into a broken echo. “If you like? Yes?”

His head was screaming.

A date.

A _date._

A date… How the hell–

But Yuugi? He was hesitant about it, even _wary,_ but he slowly started to smile again. To relax… even as that blush stained his face. And there was something about that smile that caught a string in Atem’s heart and _tugged,_ pulled taunt and didn’t let go. “I would, yeah. Like that.”

Atem nodded, mumbled, “Then… yeah. A date,” through numb lips… transfixed by his partner’s smile, that single word rolling around and around in his head.

A _date._

His partner’s smile burst free, and Yuugi was nodding, shifting to rise, his fingers playing and catching and tugging at the blanket where it was tucked in under the mattress. “Okay, then… I’ll… see you then?”

Atem nodded again, thoughtless– and then _not,_ the distance sparked by Yuugi’s efforts to stand leaving him suddenly cognizant of what _they had just said,_ that Yuugi really wanted to– that _they_ were really going to–

He belatedly followed his partner’s movements and caught his eye to nod _again,_ slower, staring right at Yuugi as he stressed, “I’ll be there.”

And Yuugi stalled, looked back at him… and the meaning beneath the promise must have been heard, or seen, or felt, because Yuugi… the question left his eyes, the uncertainty dissolved from his face, and he… he was almost too bright to look at.

But Atem would have happily gone blind if that meant he could admire him just a little longer.

But then Atem _had_ to blink when Yuugi shifted– back. Down. Closer.

Close enough that his nose brushed his.

Atem sucked in air and stopped breathing, eyes shifting wide and spasming to focus, to take in the face just inches from his own.

But all he could see were familiar violets, Yuugi’s eyes just as unblinking as his own, and searching. Waiting… _hoping…_ and Atem didn’t even have to think about it.

He breathed out, shut his eyes, and his mouth – already tingling at the very _idea –_ opened just a little.

When the contact didn’t come fast enough, he tilted his head up– and felt Yuugi’s breath on his face.

A heartbeat later, his mouth gave under a kiss.

Atem let the relief of it wash over him, seep through his nerves and soak them through… gradually… It was all so _still._ A soft, shifting thing, like breathing, and Atem just– matched it. Took it in. Took in _everything._ How close Yuugi was, the sound as he _breathed in,_ the weight of his mouth against his, the way his partner’s lips scraped faintly over his own and left heat in their wake, crisp and sweet and sparking… how warm Yuugi was under his hand, when Atem’s fingers found his bare arm and held on, grip pulsing just as Yuugi’s mouth pulsed over _him,_ so light, _so much, and…_

Then– gone.

…Atem opened his eyes and watched Yuugi slide back, just far enough to look at him.

Atem watched him _smile._

Whatever his partner saw, looking at him? It… made him smile… smile the most dazzling smile Atem had ever seen.

He wanted nothing more than to cradle Yuugi’s jaw, draw him back, and _claim_ that smile.

But Yuugi murmured, “I’d better go,” and all Atem could do was nod again… and say nothing. Watch Yuugi as slipped back, stood up, and trudged the few feet to his door… only to turn around, his hand on the knob, and grin an uncertain, “Later?”

“Later,” Atem echoed, his voice smooth, grin wide, manner steady and easy as he tapped into that part of himself that always came naturally to the surface before his partner’s doubt. “I’ll see you after school.”

And it must have been just the right thing to say, for Yuugi’s smile spread. His usual cheer was back as he chirped, “Yup! Then– bye!” and turned the knob, and– nearly walked into the door for not looking. Yuugi stumbled back, caught himself, and chuckled at his own blunder, a blush reborn on his cheeks as he shot Atem a quiet, second, “Bye,” before finally getting out the door.

Atem watched the whole thing, smiling in an amused, fond way… until Yuugi was out of sight.

Unobserved, he collapsed, rolled over and fell limp on his back to stare blindly up at the ceiling.

The hand that had clutched his partner’s arm slid over his mouth and lingered there, hiding half of Atem’s burning face as it pressed against the echo of Yuugi’s lips.

_Aibou._

* * *

“Morning, guys!” Yuugi cried to his seated friends, practically falling down the classroom aisle, nearly tripping over a few of his classmates’ feet in the process.

Bakura hummed a mute welcome without looking up from the book he was reading, but Honda didn’t even reply. He kept his head in the cushion of his arms and gave a muffled groan as Yuugi stopped by his own desk, catching his hand on the edge to keep himself upright as he huffed and gasped for breath, his stomach aching with the sudden stillness.

“Morning, Yuugi-kun,” Anzu echoed behind him from her own seat, prompting him to turn around and watch as she yawned into her wrist, only to smile sleepily back at him over her shoulder. “You shouldn’t run.”

“Heh, sorry,” he apologized, easily finding a grin himself as he shrugged out of his bag and hooked it on his desk. “Still worn out from yesterday?”

“How are you _not?”_ Honda finally lifted his head only to squint at Yuugi through nearly shut eyes. “We got out of the mall at like _midnight!_ And didn’t you miss your train?”

Yuugi just smiled and shrugged, not bothering to correct the details as he sat down. “Oh, I’m tired, too. I guess– knowing we only have a half day today helps?” And that they’d be off soon enough, and then he could see–

“That’s true,” Bakura agreed, finally putting down his book to look at them directly, the bags under his eyes doing little to stifle the easy cheer in his own grin. “And I’m glad tomorrow’s Sunday. I’m going to sleep in half the day, if I can.”

“Lucky,” Honda grumbled weakly, no real anger or irritation behind the words as he rubbed at his eye.

“Do you still want to meet up tomorrow, then?” Anzu asked Bakura, only to turn and look uncertainly at Yuugi. “If Atem-kun already heard about us getting together…”

Yuugi couldn’t help it. His smile stretched at the name, his fingers tingling oddly as he looked down to cover his reaction, rifling through his bag for his notebook to hide it. “Yeah, I told him. But it’s okay, if you’re tired–”

“No, no, I’m not going to miss a chance to hang out!” Bakura protested, his grin wide and reassuring when Yuugi looked back at him… then dim and– oddly delicate as his expression suddenly sobered. “We’ll only get so many chances to, right?”

Yuugi… felt his smile fall. Felt it, and knew it’d be better if it didn’t. But he couldn’t help it. Some part of him fell back from the moment when Bakura said that, went numb to his friend’s knowing, sympathetic eye, Honda and Anzu’s silence at his back, and the noise of the classroom around him.

Because… that was right. Atem was still… And _they…_

But that had been true already. Yuugi already _knew_ that. Had _responded_ to that fact when Atem brought it up. And… there was no need to linger on _that_ and let it… What happened yesterday still happened. And Yuugi– didn’t want to hide anymore, or lie to himself, and Atem leaving was such a big truth it could even hide _other_ truths. Create lies if Yuugi focused on it too long, and…

He was meeting Atem after school.

They were going on a _date,_ and Atem… Atem had been so blown away by that.

…Yuugi felt his smile twitch back into place thinking about it, his mind catching sweetly on that thought.

 _Yeah,_ he really _had_ been, hadn’t he…

Yuugi breathed in– and nodded, stretching the tiny smile he had found into a full one. “Right.”

Bakura nodded back, a barely noticeable tension relaxing out of his shoulders as he said, “So, I’ll get up early for that, if you want! Happily. And– should we do something today, too? Since we have the chance?”

–Yuugi lost his smile completely as his mind blanked out.

 _Shit! We can’t– not– “Mou hitori no boku…_ has work off,” he admitted, only to flinch at his own thoughtless honesty. _Shit, why did I say that?!_ But– but he couldn’t just keep Atem all to _himself_ when there was only so much time, and he shouldn’t avoid his own friends, and… but _goddamnit!!_

“Ah, that’s too bad,” Honda said, grimacing apologetically towards Yuugi. “I promised my sister I’d watch Johji today.”

“And I told my mother I’d help clean and do my homework,” Anzu added. “Since I’m hanging with you guys tomorrow.”

…Yuugi could have cried.  

He clenched his teeth against the relieved sigh that bubbled up in his throat as Bakura sighed, none the wiser. “Ah, that’s too bad. I suppose it would be best to get any readings we’re assigned today out of the way, though.”

“It’s okay, we still have tomorrow,” Yuugi assured, grinning at his well-meaning friend.

“Exactly,” Anzu backed, shifting her smile from Bakura to Yuugi as she asked, “And we can decide what to do at lunch– unless Atem-kun said what he wants to do?”

Yuugi shook his head, finally putting down the notebook he had been holding the whole time. “I think he’d be happy with whatever. He just wants to be with us.”

Anzu mirrored the soft look Yuugi gave perfectly, nodding gently… and then warmed even further as she said, “I’m glad you two are okay again.”

Yuugi… smiled.

Smiled, and for a single second ached to share the elation that had been bubbling away in his gut since yesterday, and now threatened to pool up out of him in sheer happiness because he just wanted to _thank her, and them,_ and tell them all and Jounouchi too what they had done for him, and how happy he was, and how Atem was waiting for him and shared his feelings and they had _kissed!_ He’d had _his very first kiss_ and it had been with _Atem_ and, and…

…And how could he tell her?

How could he tell _Anzu?_

How could he… tell everyone, when they all knew Atem was going to go? They’d never let that pass without comment, right? Even if they were all okay with Yuugi being with _Atem,_ they’d never… they’d worry.

So… what could he say?

That is, other than– “Thanks, Anzu-chan,” Yuugi answered, letting his smile linger on her a second or so before shifting it to Honda, and then Bakura. “You too, guys. You really were a help yesterday.”

“No problem,” Honda countered, waving dismissively at him as he grinned at the classroom window.

“Yeah.” Bakura laughed lightly as he scratched his neck. “I honestly don’t know what we did, other than say we noticed you were both upset, but if we helped in anyway–”  

“You did,” Yuugi assured, grinning back at him as he clutched his hands together on his lap, beneath his desk where no one could see. “Trust me.”

“Then we’re glad for it,” Anzu assured, drawing all three pairs of eyes back to her. “It was tough seeing you both like that this last week, so it’ll be good to hang out again tomorrow. The whole group together, properly, like back at Bakura-kun’s.”

“Right…” the named teen mumbled, dropping his hand from the back of his neck as he told them, “Otogi-kun is skipping school again today, what with work, but he said he’ll make sure he’s free tomorrow. He doesn’t want to miss Atem-kun either, so I’ll call him later with whatever plans we set.”

“Speaking of–” Honda leaned forward against his desk, resting his weight on his elbows as he frowned determinedly between them. “I still wanna go back to the batting cage.”

“We’re not playing baseball, Honda-kun,” Anzu countered instantly, glowering at him. “We can’t even hang out properly with the net between us.”

“Oh, come on! Atem said he’d be fine with whatever, didn’t he?”

“That’s not–” Anzu tried to protest before Yuugi could reply, but she was cut off in turn when someone rushed into the room, and–

 _“I’m here!!”_ Jounouchi cried, zipping right past a girl who tripped back from the door with a squawk. She nearly fell over, but Jounouchi didn’t even look back, making a bee-line for his desk and tumbling into his seat with a loud gasp, his hands shaking where they landed on his seat back and desk. _“Gah…”_

A number of people glared at him, but Yuugi just smiled, looking right past the familiar drama to call, “Hey, Jounouchi-kun!”

“Thirty seconds to spare,” Honda commented, and when Yuugi glanced over, he saw that he was looking at his wristwatch. “Nice.”

“You nearly got locked out,” Anzu tried to berate, but her tone and frown were frankly too weary to come off as lecturing… that is, until the blond sat up properly, and she got a proper look at his face, and– “Jounouchi! Did you sleep at _all_ last night?!”

“Not so loud!” the clearly exhausted Jounouchi griped, glowering about at their classmates, who had all been staring at them long before Anzu said anything. “Like any of you got enough sleep!”

Yuugi frowned, his usual amusement at his best friend’s antics sliding into concern when he saw just how big the bags were under his eyes. “Jounouchi-kun, are you gonna be–”

But there was no time. The classroom door opened again, they all faced forward, and the chatter about them turned to loud shuffling as the teacher walked in.

“Alright, class,” he said as he reached the front desk, pulling papers out of his bag and giving the students a few precious unobserved moments as he straightened them. “We have a few announcements about the upcoming midterm exams, then Nakano-san can take the roll call and give the student announcements, so–”

Yuugi pulled a pencil out and turned to a free page in his notebook, jotting down dates and subjects and page numbers from the textbook they should refer to for the test… and slowly ebbed into stillness as his teacher said, “Most of your teachers will probably be giving you a light load in papers and written work in the upcoming weeks, but don’t think that means you can slack off. If you skip your readings and exercises, you’ll–”

Yuugi paused, his eyes widening as he processed that. If they were laying off assignments the next few weeks, _then…_

…Yuugi grinned, underlining dates as possibilities danced eagerly through his mind.

He hoped that reprieve included this weekend, too. After all, he had someone back home to focus on.

* * *

“Ah, that smells good, Yui-chan,” Sugoroku praised, breathing in deep as he walked into the kitchen, smiling at the smell of a fresh, hot lunch– only to stall a couple of steps into the room when he caught sight of the table.

Half of the surface was covered in mahjong tiles.

Atem sat before them, his arms crossed and his face set with focus as he looked over the half-finished solitaire game… shifting only to toss three pairs of tiles into a discard pile in quick succession.

Yui, meanwhile, stood at the stove, answering Sugoroku without looking back. “It’s just mackerel and tempura today, but thank you. I’ll have your plate ready in a second.”

“Take your time, take your time,” Sugoroku urged, never taking his curious gaze off of Atem’s game as he sat down at the table. As he waited, he studied the tiles himself, and… “Is that _my_ old set you’re using there?”

Atem hummed noncommittally, nothing moving save his eyes as he re-considered his options. “Yui-san found it for me.”

“He kept insisting on helping me with lunch,” Yui explained, shooting the nonresponsive teen a dry look as she turned around and set Sugoroku’s food down in front of him. “Two weeks of hiding up in Yuugi-kun’s room when he’s not working, and suddenly he can’t keep his nose out of my kitchen for five minutes without something to do.”

“I _am_ in your kitchen,” Atem countered, still staring at his game and utterly deadpanned– but Sugoroku saw the smirk that twitched across his face when Yui sniffed at him.

“Don’t get smart with me,” she ordered, her words more banter than warning as she untied her apron and moved to set it on the counter. “And finish your lunch.”

Behind her back, Atem’s smirk grew more transparent, and Sugoroku couldn’t help an open chuckle. “I don’t mind how you found the game, my boy,” he corrected, picking up his chopsticks and tackling his food as he spoke. “I’m just shocked it’s still around. I haven’t seen it in _years._ I thought Renju took it with him to Hokkaido.”

“I told him to send it home a while back,” Yui answered for the teen, a sincere, truly displeased light flashing beneath her frown. “When he had that one flatmate a couple of years ago, who kept trying to pawn his things? _Honestly,_ the company was well rid of that one when he left.”

“Ah, that’s right…” Sugoroku mumbled between bites, his mind dragging up dusty, half-fuzzed over memories of phone conversations about missing property and filed police reports. He wondered if that guy was ever charged, or if he had just been dismissed by the company…

…He stalled mid-bite when he noticed Atem wasn’t looking at his game anymore.

The young man was frowning at Yui, confusion in his eyes and the furrow of his brow… but Yui didn’t notice. She was too busy looking at Atem’s plate, pushed well out of reach and out of the way of his game. “You didn’t eat your fish.”

Atem followed her gaze– and his frown morphed. Shifted to something flummoxed, a surprise in his blind spot, and he hesitated too long before reaching for his plate, and Yui got there first.

“Nevermind,” she was saying, taking the remains of the meal to the trash bin. “It’s gone cold. I’ll make something else when I get back from the shop.”

“–I’ll eat it,” Atem tried to insist, but Yui was too fast again, and turned on the boy with a fixed look.

“Yes, you will. And you will _like_ it. I still have some left, and I’m going to cook it up and mix it in with one of your meals tomorrow, and we’ll just see if you even notice which one it was.”

Atem… _smiled,_ a curious light overshadowing the frustration that had been there just a moment before, bright and friendly, yet somehow sharp. He countered, a glint in his eye and a challenge in his voice, “What do I win if I do?”

–Sugoroku choked on his tempura, a laugh hitting him mid-swallow.

He barely recovered when Yui echoed a baffled, “Win?” and Atem visibly tripped over his own reaction, clearly wanting to retract the statement and stumbling over how to do so.

And while his expression made Sugoroku want to laugh all over again, he took pity, patting his chest to cover his chuckle in a cough before saying, “Yui-chan? Not to rush you, but I put that ‘Back in 5 minutes’ sign up a good ten minutes ago.”

Yui turned her confused frown on him– then shook it off, moving for the door. “Right, right. You take your time and eat up.”

“Will do!” he called, smiling into a couple of bites as he heard Yui walk down the hall– leaving Sugoroku nothing to look at as he ate, save Atem himself.

The boy had turned back to his game, his awkwardness of a moment ago shaken off in favor of considering his next move. And that was just fine with Sugoroku, because it gave him a chance to eat and contemplate him without interruption or returned attention. For determined focus and silent retreats were nothing new with Atem, but lately he had been ricocheting alarmingly between the two, with little in the middle. Sugoroku had watched him attack work and play alike like a man in turns _possessed,_ and lifeless…  

But neither was true now. Atem was just playing, _restless_ if anything, going by the subtle, uncharacteristic fidget of his finger tapping on the table. And he actually _smiled–_ a smirk jumping across his face as he removed four more tiles.

Sugoroku smiled, too, looking down at his plate and taking a couple of bites before saying, “You’re certainly chipper today.”

Atem’s chair creaked and Sugoroku looked up to find the boy looking back at him, confused… and then not, another smile peeking out as he turned back to his game. “It’s been a good day.”

“Oh, really? And here I thought yesterday was the cause.”

Atem… slowly looked back at him again, his gaze sticking this time… but it demanded far more answers than it gave. The tension there prompted a tickled concern in Sugoroku, but he pressed it back and filed it away to consider later as he grinned and explained, “Yui-chan told me about you and Yuugi coming downstairs in such a good mood, after he stole you from the shop yesterday.”

 _Ah,_ Atem’s face said, his features relaxing as he nodded, accepting Sugoroku’s curious inquiry of “You two done fighting then?” with a sudden return of his assured smile.

“We worked things out, yes.”

“Good.” The older man paused to eat a little before waving his chopsticks in Atem’s direction, as if he wanted him to literally hand him a reply. “Does that mean you won’t be moping around my shop anymore? And Yuugi will stop keeping his head down anytime he’s home?”

Again, Atem did not protest or sputter or excuse. He just nodded once more, that smile of his… ebbing, as he furrowed his brow at the mahjong tiles. “I think so.”

–Sugoroku stalled, his hand still in the air as he frowned at the boy.

His silence prompted Atem to meet his eye again, but he only mirrored his frown and said, “I’m just not sure there won’t be… _new_ problems,” uncertain gravity behind every word.

Sugoroku considered him for a long moment… and then shrugged, putting down his chopsticks to reach for his tea, instead. “Talk to Yuugi, then.”

Atem didn’t say anything. Just waited until Sugoroku finished with his tea and naturally noticed his expectant stare.

And when Sugoroku did, he just snorted, setting aside his cup. “I don’t care what’s on your mind, my boy. If it’s tied to Yuugi, _he’s_ the one you should be talking to, not me.”

Atem opened his mouth as though to answer– and traded in whatever he was about to say for a smile. “He already knows.”

“Then tell him again,” he tossed back instantly, throwing Atem an impatient, fond look along with the words. “It’s obvious that whatever it is, you think it bears repeating. So, repeat it.”

Atem looked away, back to his game, but Sugoroku could see at a glance that he had taken his words to heart– even before he nodded and mumbled a quiet, “Aa.”

And Sugoroku could only shake his head at the serious young man, picking at his food as he asked, “And from all those vagaries, I assume I won’t be getting the details?”

“They’re not mine to share.”

Sugoroku stalled, his chopsticks still on his plate, and looked up– into Atem’s wall of a poker face. And he should have been concerned… but there was a light behind that gaze of his, assured, _content,_ that washed away much of the older man’s alarm, and left him free to laugh with an allowing, “Fair enough.” A small, grateful smile twitched across the boy’s steel features, only to burst into a full-blown smirk when Sugoroku let his eyes drop to the tiles, and said, “You could match the red dragons there, you know.”

“If you want to play, you should just _play.”_

“Heh heh, is that a challenge, young man?”

The gleeful look Atem shot him could have made a demon cower. “Two wins say I trade my shift tomorrow afternoon for your Monday morning.”

Sugoroku matched him smirk for smirk. _“Done.”_

* * *

“What is it about a half-day that makes it drag on just as much as any other school day?” Jounouchi mused aloud as he and Yuugi neared the school gate, spoiling his own would-be philosophical curiosity by yawning so loudly and suddenly that a girl walking in front of them tripped in shock.

She glared back at the blond before rushing forward again, but Jounouchi paid her no mind, rubbing his eye with the butt of his palm and looking up again only when his humoring best friend suggested, “Maybe it’s that, no matter how early we get to leave, we have to wake up just as early to get here?”

“You’re too wise by half.”

Yuugi choked on a laugh at Jounouchi’s heavy, reverent gaze, fighting to kept his mouth shut against it– only for a familiar shock of color to catch his eye and make him whip his head around. Check to see if it really was… _yes!_

“Huh? What’re you smiling at, Yu– _Hey,_ Atem!”

And it was. A dot of gold and black amid a sea of school blue, Atem was standing right outside of the gate, facing them, _waiting_ for them to come out, his stance relaxed and his smile bright as they noticed him and closed the distance between them and– and their eyes caught, and Yuugi’s heart thumped hard in his chest at the uncertain, _eager_ question in those eyes, an echo of the same question curling so happily in his own gut, and–

“I would’ve thought you’d be working right now,” Jounouchi was saying, and a static of confusion interrupted Yuugi’s merry focus. He turned back to his best friend and blinked at Jounouchi’s clear surprise and– stumbled as he realized, _right,_ Jounouchi hadn’t been in the classroom when Yuugi explained–

 _”Jii-chan_ gave me the day off,” Atem answered, his voice a tiny shock to Yuugi’s system and leaving his grin faintly dazed as he nodded.

“Yeah, we were gonna go into town today.”

“Oh hey! Cool,” Jounouchi remarked, grinning between them. “Where’re you going?”

“Ah-um…” Yuugi stumbled eloquently, mind blanking on the simple question, because, “I don’t–”

“The station.” Yuugi mirrored Jounouchi’s curious gaze perfectly as they both turned to Atem… but his other self’s easy spontaneity seemed to have abandoned him, and he just– stared back at them, a quiet stiffness infecting his stance as he shrugged. “Then just… somewhere.”

“There’s lots of stuff to do there, you know?” Yuugi suggested before he was even really conscious of it, and he could have sworn relief shone beneath the sudden softness of Atem’s eyes– and then Jounouchi was snorting.

“Yeah, I know,” he said, eying them both with open amusement… tripping forward as some underclassman rushing by elbowed him in the back. Rather than turning and snapping at the boy, though, Jounouchi turned the stumble into a step and moved down the street, away from the gate. Sharing a brief, checking look with his other self, Yuugi followed suit– and instantly froze just out of the line of the foot traffic when Jounouchi tossed back a casual, “This just a hang out or a ‘still making up’ kind of thing?”

“Ah, well–” Yuugi turned to Atem for input, and… lost all concept of a reply when he saw his other self’s surprise give way to… to a ticking consideration that he turned on _him,_ his crimson eyes contemplative as they took in the flustered confusion that _must_ have shown on Yuugi’s face.

What–

“Not that I’m trying to butt in or anything,” Jounouchi added, cutting through the sudden tension and prompting Yuugi to turn and see his best friend grinning at them both. “Just curious.”

“Jounouchi-kun–”

Jounouchi waved at him in a shooing gesture. “It’s cool, it’s cool! You still need some time to talk, right? Since you rushed right back to the mall last night? So talk! I want a proper hangout tomorrow, so you two need to get things worked out by the time we meet up, okay?”

“Okay,” Yuugi mumbled, his mind too fuzzed over to piece together a better reply, or _what_ his other self must be thinking.

But Atem hummed a quiet “Aa,” and when Yuugi looked his way? He was looking right back at him… and his smile prompted _Yuugi_ to smile, and–

Jounouchi yawned, and they both looked up just in time to see the blond walk away, a smile of his own clear on his face just before he turned his back on them. “I’m going to take a nap before work. See ya tomorrow!”

“See ya!” Yuugi called as Jounouchi made his leisurely way down the street… leaving Yuugi alone with Atem.

Well, Atem, and the dozens of other classmates walking around them.

Yuugi sidestepped out of the way of a couple girls passing by, and looked up– to find Atem still staring at him from across the sidewalk. His expression had relaxed back into an easy regard, just a twitch away from grinning at the slightest provocation– and Yuugi provided an excuse quick enough when he shrugged, lips curling with a wry smile as he shared, “We’re all going bowling tomorrow… if you want to, that is.”

“That sounds fun.”

He nodded… let his focus drop to the ground as silence hung between them, _excited…_ but uncertain. Yuugi had a million things he wanted to say, but he wasn’t sure what to say _first._ But, finally, the awareness of Atem’s gaze still trained on him prompted Yuugi to step forward, cross the sidewalk in-between the foot traffic and stall right beside him, a grin back on his face as he looked up at his other self. “So, the station, huh?”

Atem sniffed and started down the street, forcing Yuugi to keep up with him as he answered, “It was the first thing that occurred to me.”

“…Because that’s where I had you meet Anzu-chan on your date?”

Atem met his knowing grin with a sharp side-eye, indignation barely covering calculated amusement. “So, that _was_ a date, then.”

“To help you, yeah!”

“Heh…” Atem didn’t humor that with a proper reply. Just a full-on, clearly untroubled smirk, aimed at the sidewalk before them.

And Yuugi chuckled lightly, facing forward himself… but soon, his smile ebbed away, and he peeked at Atem out of the corner of his eye. “No pushing this time, though.”

–Atem stopped. Turned to him.

And Yuugi stalled, too. Met his other self’s veiled surprise with an allowing, easy smile, voice warm with allowance. “We could go to the station, yeah, or just back home… Whatever you want.” And he was pretty sure what the answer would be, but Atem had been so taken aback that morning, when he suggested a _date,_ so… so Yuugi wanted to be sure. There were no good excuses to push him into anything, after all. No need for tricks this time to get Atem to open up. They were doing this for its own sake.

For _them._

So…

Atem’s gaze was keen, searching, like he was trying to see the inner workings of Yuugi’s mind by gaze alone… and he must have found _something_ reassuring in his smile, because his expression soon softened, and he turned away. Started walking again. “Come on, the bus to the station will be by soon.”

Yuugi beamed, and rushed to catch up. “Right!”

* * *

“This is… have we been here before?” Yuugi stared out across the water, trying to place the sight before him. He was standing on a small, concrete pier, one among a dozen or so that lined a random water edge in the city. A line of storage buildings were at his back, all locked up and quiet, and there was nobody in sight– save a good mile or so farther down the shore, where a bunch of boats were gathered around a proper port. There were some people milling about down _there…_ but the only person within hearing was–

“No,” Atem replied, passing behind him as he walked up the pier. “But I remembered running by here during the tournament, and thinking that it wasn’t crowded.” He sat down at a random edge, one jean-clad leg hanging over the water as he folded his hands over a bent knee, his eyes trained on the horizon. “I took a gamble that it would be the same today.”

Yuugi nodded silently, staring at Atem’s profile… taking in the serious, thoughtful expression, and the general quiet air about him.

He said he wanted to talk.

They’d made it as far as the station on light chit chat, talking about their day, how Atem picked up Mahjong that morning, how Bakura was the one who broke the tie on their bowling trip the next day… But, when they arrived at their destination, and Yuugi asked what they should do first, Atem said he wanted to say something– and that it wouldn’t be good to bring it up in public.

Rather than head home, though, Atem had led him _there._

And Yuugi… he could feel the weight of it. Whatever his other self needed to get off his chest, it wasn’t trivial. So he sat down beside him, shrugging out of his backpack and letting his legs dangle over the side as he looked to Atem– and asked, before the weight could smother him, “What did you want to say?”

Atem… slowly turned to him, eyed Yuugi just as he had back at the gate. Like he wanted nothing more than to read Yuugi’s thoughts, even as _he_ tried to deny _Yuugi_ any insight with his flat poker face. It didn’t work, though. His conviction was shining through, just the same. “…I don’t take anything back.”

Yuugi straightened with a sharp inhale, his face tense as he eyed his other self right back. Not speaking. Just… waiting.

And finally, Atem softened. His expression shifted, grew gentle… but still, there was something somber about him as he slid his gaze back across the water. “I just wanted to say that upfront.”

“Okay,” Yuugi allowed… letting the silence drag on a long while, expecting _something_ more… and when it never came? When he couldn’t _stand_ it any longer? He slowly, carefully asked, “Why?”

Atem breathed out, long and loud, until his shoulders were drooping… then looked back at him.

Yuugi was caught.

The want and the warning in those eyes dragged him in and left him to drown, and he could do nothing about it. Nothing but stare right back as Atem frowned, and muttered, _“Aibou…_ this is big.”

Yuugi’s mouth twitched… then set in a tight line, that weight he had merely observed before finally pressing down on his own chest. “I know.”

Atem asked _Do you?_ without a sound. Refused to release him. “I’m still going to Egypt. Still leaving. In a month.” In _less_ than a month.

Yuugi’s fingers found the pier’s edge and gripped it. Dug into it. He didn’t look away. “I know.”

“And _this,”_ Atem motioned towards the narrow space between them… then dropped his eyes and his hand both to the Puzzle, clutching it with tight, stiff fingers. “It can’t change that.”

Yuugi followed the motion, and stared. Looked down at the golden Item resting so innocently against the fabric of his own t-shirt– the black Pac-Man one with the four ghosts, peeking out from beneath the thick silver chain.

He had lent Atem the collar, too. So that the chain wouldn’t bite into his skin.

Yuugi’s bare neck itched, but he ignored it, staring down at the water as he clutched the pier’s edge tight. It hurt, but… if he let go, his fingers would shake. “I know.”

Atem dropped his hand to the concrete between them, and went still… allowed a silence that Yuugi knew was for his own sake. So that he could gather himself.

So he took it. Let the moment drag until the pangs in his chest softened, and he felt safe to look up– into Atem’s face.

He was looking at him, as somber as ever… but _warm,_ too. So… so warm. “But, it could still change everything else.”

Yuugi opened his mouth… then let it close, shifting his eyes across Atem’s face in a sudden, fervent focus on _him,_ his inner struggle to stifle himself giving way to a wonder of his other self, his opaque thoughts, on– “What are you trying to say?” Yuugi asked, a quiet insistence in his voice that Atem… didn’t turn away from in any way. He just accepted it, staring right back as Yuugi spoke. “Do you think we shouldn’t… ‘date’? Cross that line?”

Atem instantly shook his head. “I told you, I’m not taking anything back.” And… he didn’t do anything. He just _looked_ at him.

But… but that look melted at the edges, and something in the pit of Yuugi’s stomach and the back of his throat went tight, and– and it was just like–

“And haven’t we already crossed it?” he muttered, so softly Yuugi barely heard him.

But he did.

…And Yuugi smiled.

And it felt so _good_ to smile, and it only grew easier as Atem eased at the sight. “Yeah… and if we’re talking feelings? There’s nothing to go back _to,”_ Yuugi agreed, his face tingling with the reality of his own openness. But there was no place for reticence here. Not between them. Not _now._ “I felt like this… long before any of this.” He just hadn’t seen it… and he couldn’t unsee it now. And even if he _could,_ it would still be true.

And he had no regrets for that. For any of it. _Couldn’t_ when he was looking at Atem, and he _saw_ his words wash over him. Watched his poker face slipped away, leaving him bare, and open, and– _and–_ “Me too.”

Yuugi breathed in those words… and held them, his chest full of them as he smiled at Atem. Smiled _back_ at him, the joy hanging between them like a tangible thing, solid enough to touch.

…Yuugi slid into it, scooting along the pier until he was shoulder-to-shoulder with his other self… his fingers grazing Atem’s, brushing over them before finding the concrete edge again.

Atem’s eyes followed the shift, never breaking their gaze. He sucked in a breath loud enough to hear when Yuugi touched him, but he made no move to pull away when Yuugi settled that little bit closer– as close as he dared, out in the open. But it was enough. Enough to look his other self right in the eye as he said, “So, whatever’s going to happen? I’m not going to feel any differently, now or later. So… I don’t want to ignore this, _mou hitori no boku._ Or let it go. I’d just regret it if I tried.”

And… and if there was any surprise in his other self’s eyes for his words, it dissolved in a heartbeat, lost to that warmth that was at once familiar and so, so new.

Atem shifted, dropping his other leg over the edge to sit up properly, and– reach for him. He took his hand, _there,_ between their legs, where their bodies hid the contact from all eyes. From everyone, save the ocean.

Yuugi straightened at the strong, fervent grip, but he was too lost in Atem’s eyes to look down. And as he stared, his other self slowly, earnestly repeated himself. _“Me too.”_

…Yuugi breathed out, beaming his relief, lightheaded and dizzy as he asked, “Then, what are you worried about? I mean–” Obviously Yuugi getting hurt, he saw _that much…_ and maybe _himself_ getting hurt, too. But they already–

“I just wanted to check. To be sure.” Atem formed his mouth around some other statement… and dropped it, a surprising sheepishness flickering across his face before it gave way to the faintest of smiles. “It still feels too good to be true.”

Yuugi couldn’t smile anymore than he already was, but that didn’t stop the feeling that rose up in his heart, or the urge to toss himself into Atem’s arms.

He focused the feeling into his hand, turning it to clutch back just as tightly as Atem was, and… and Yuugi knew he must have understood, because he just… his expression was just so… peaceful.

But it stuttered, shifted into something– _hesitant_ as he looked down at their hands, running a thumb over the side of Yuugi’s finger. “And either way, I don’t know what to do with this.”

Yuugi shook his head, tilting it in an effort to meet Atem’s eye. “We already said it, right? We crossed that line already, so we might as well not think too hard about it.”

But Atem shook _his_ head, too, and even as he smiled for the fond assurance in Yuugi’s voice, he protested, “No, what I mean is I don’t know how to…” Uncertainty wrinkled across his brow, and finally he looked up to meet Yuugi’s gaze directly. “How do we date?”

Yuugi… straightened, peering back at his other self with open, mirrored confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, what are we supposed to do?”

 _“Well,_ we…” Yuugi motioned between them as well as he could with his free hand. _“Date.”_

“I figured that much, _aibou,”_ Atem countered, not a hint of impatience to his voice. There was just a clear, avid need for an answer, his gaze so fervent as he searched Yuugi’s eyes that he couldn’t even blink. “But what does that mean, in the sense of actions? What we _do?_ What does it mean to date? If not in general, then to you?”

It was… it just seemed so obvious, as far as Yuugi was concerned. But when he opened his mouth to give that oh-so-obvious answer, all that came out was, “Ah, I mean…” He scrunched his nose against the eager expectation in his other self’s eyes, because _dammit,_ Atem _knew_ he knew no more this than he did! They were _both_ in uncharted waters here! “We just… try dating things?” he tried, shrugging. “You know, go out to dinner together, like you said, and– whatever else we want?” He certainly knew what date stuff was _supposed_ to look like, after all. Dinners, movies, long walks on the beach–

“We would do that anyways,” Atem pointed out, not a beat lost.

…Well damn if he wasn’t right about that.

But Yuugi didn’t have long to flounder on that failure before something shifted across Atem’s face. Something heavy and surprisingly certain and faintly _disturbing_ and– “And if we’re in public, we can’t…”

_Oh._

Atem didn’t even need to finish. And Yuugi didn’t let him, grimacing as he turned his eyes back on the ocean. “We can’t openly behave like we’re dating, I know.” Not without some real… _pushback,_ at least. They were both _guys_ after all, and well… nothing ‘romantic’ could come from drawing attention to themselves. Yuugi knew they wouldn’t let anyone _shame_ them for whatever they did, and nothing anyone said could make him doubt this, but still… when he imagined a good date, vague as it was? A fight with some rude bystander definitely wasn’t part of the picture.

The hand cradling his own squeezed. “So… how is it different?”

Yuugi turned back, searched the eyes still transfixed on him, so _wanting_ of an answer, so sincerely uncertain… and he remembered. Yuugi remembered a look just like it, shared on a friend’s quiet balcony not even a week ago.

…He smiled. “You mean, how is it any different from if we had gone to dinner _before?”_

Atem’s grip softened into a relaxed clutch as he tilted his head, his gaze drifting curiously across Yuugi’s face. “Yes, that’s what I mean.”

“Didn’t you just say you felt this way _before_ Bakura-kun’s, too?”

Atem considered that… and slowly, _he_ smiled, too. “Yes.”

Yuugi nodded in echo agreement, his heart thumping with wild relief as he turned to face Atem head on. “Then, see? It might not be any different at all in what we _do,_ or what we _can_ do, or maybe even in how we feel about it. But that just makes sense, considering.” And there was no good word for it, but… but he squeezed Atem’s hand back and beamed and let that feeling that had been resting like a contained glow inside his heart out, to shine. Because it was _true._ It had _always_ been true. “We just… _know_ now, you know?”

And he wasn’t saying it right. There were so many better ways to say it. Direct, more _honest_ ways.

But Atem knew. Yuugi saw that. Forgot to even _look_ for it when he fell into those sweet eyes, understanding glowing within them even as he sought to confirm, “Then, we wouldn’t do anything differently than how we would have before, because we already…”

Yuugi nodded, only to trip over a counter-thought that made him– well, he wasn’t sure he did anything, really. He certainly didn’t squeak out loud, as he did in his head. But he must have shown _something,_ because Atem gave him the most curious look, and Yuugi smiled through the skittering impulse to shy away, and forced the words out. “Well, maybe there’d– be _some_ differences? Like I told you, I want to try everything we can together, and now there’s a whole range of _new_ things I want to share with you, that I… never thought about before?” He anxiously searched his other self’s face, but though Atem was clearly _trying_ to process and understand, accepted in the abstract, he clearly didn’t understand the specifics. And Yuugi couldn’t bring himself to just say it outright. Even his efforts to edge his meaning into Atem’s awareness made his face feel like it was burning. But, he tried, his throat closing around the words. “And I’d… like to keep exploring that, you know? The stuff we… last night? …This morning?”

The sharp line of Atem’s brow softened as he slid from confusion to consideration… and then it wrinkled tight as his eyes widened, realization glassing over his eyes as he _froze up,_ and Yuugi with him, waiting without breath for the dice to fall and Atem’s feelings to show on his face.

But _nothing_ showed on his other self’s face. That blindsided shock lingered, even as he slowly, _slowly_ nodded… offering nothing more than a quiet, “Alright,” in the smallest voice Yuugi had ever him heard use.

Yuugi swallowed, nerves balanced on a hairpin as he searched for some sign that… that that had been too much? Welcome? Weird? Something? He didn’t know– and didn’t notice how tightly he was clutching his other self’s hand until he felt a palm beneath his fingertips, and Atem was suddenly looking at him, _properly,_ blinking the stars out of his eyes to eye him with a– a thrown, dazed, _awed_ sort of fascination that knocked the held breath right out of Yuugi and left _him_ dizzy with abstract relief and wonder and– “We’ll… figure it out,” Yuugi managed, smiling his shy success as he squeezed that hand again, more purposefully. “You’re right, there are some things we _can’t_ do when we go out, but we won’t _always_ be out, and even when we are… the important thing is just– _we know._ And whatever we do? It should be what we both want. And I don’t just mean we should _like_ what we do. We shouldn’t avoid what we _do_ want to do, either. So long as we both want whatever it is, and…you know?” He didn’t know. Yuugi wasn’t even sure what he was saying. It was all _true,_ but the words just fell out of him in a desperate grapple to reach out, to assure and understand and _know Atem was alright–_

But… Atem… was alright. He hadn’t retreated again, or fallen back into shock, or simply stared as Yuugi stumbled and tripped over himself. He was _looking at him,_ like… like he couldn’t believe what he saw… in the best of all possible ways.

It was a look Yuugi knew well, in so many ways, but that didn’t stop his heart from thumping pleasantly against his ribs at the sight, his chest full as he slowly smiled. “We’ll… figure it out.” They’d probably stumble a lot, mess up somewhere along the way, but he would stay vigilant of Atem’s reactions, see if he was uncomfortable with any of Yuugi’s ignorant moves… and Yuugi knew he could trust Atem.

They were both in good hands, he was sure of it.

And Atem must have agreed, for he settled further into that sweet, warm regard, his gaze sliding across Yuugi’s face, over his shoulder, down his bare arm to their joined hands… humming softly as his thumb drifted across Yuugi’s knuckles. “Fair enough.”

And that was all he said. But, that was all Yuugi needed. He trusted the conviction behind those words, the satisfaction beneath them. And it was hard to worry about much of anything while Atem was touching him like that. The light, thoughtful caress over his skin sent prickles up his arm and made him shiver and flush all at once, and he had to clear his throat before even daring to speak– drawing Atem’s eyes back up to his as he let out a tentative, “So… do you still want to?” He waved between them again with his free hand, the gesture as quick and twitchy as his smile. “Go on that date?”

Atem didn’t return the gesture, but he blinked the filmy wonder from his eyes to look at him clearly, even _fiercely_ as he nodded, the intensity of his gaze belying the simple, “Yes,” he offered.

Yuugi’s face split in a grin, the near-instant mirror he received prompting him to nod and rush to ask, “Then– what’d you imagine when you named the station?”

Atem shook his head. “Nothing. I was just thinking about when you sent me there before. That it was a ‘date’ meeting place.” He had lost much of his smile under the faint discomfort of the confession, but the softness returned to his face when he admitted, “I didn’t have anything in mind. Just– you and me.”

Yuugi… stilled a moment, breathing in those words in a slow, hanging heartbeat, before finally moving. He gently pulled his hand free from Atem’s, and stood up. “Then– let’s go find something together, you and me.”

Deserted fingers pulsed on the concrete– then Atem looked up, eying Yuugi in silent question as he hovered over him.

But Yuugi just grinned, caught in a shy, eager sort of high as he explained, “There’s like a hundred different shops and stuff around here, and we’ve got all afternoon to find something fun. And if we don’t like any of it, we can just go back down to the station and check out the underground mall. I’ll bet my Charizard to your Venusaur we’ll find at least _one_ fun thing to do. Probably five.”

He didn’t mean it of course. No gamble after all, however sure, was worth _that_ risk.

And Atem must have known that, but he didn’t call his bluff. He just smiled back at him, eyes warm and indulgent and laughing. “I wouldn’t take that bet. You’d win.”

A laugh bubbled in Yuugi’s chest, and he let it fill him up as he picked up his bag, then reached out, offering his free hand once more to his other self. “Then, you coming?”

Atem’s eyes skimmed across him, not considering, but taking Yuugi in. _All_ of him, letting the seconds crawl by as he finally let their gazes catch… and reached up, grasping tight and making Yuugi’s nerves sizzle and both of them grin the most breathless grin possible as he stood.

Atem squeezed his hand once… then let go.

“Lead the way, _aibou.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Music:** [Fools](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uodUCtmCRME&list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z&index=24) by Lauren Aquilina
> 
> **[twitter](https://twitter.com/Phoebeus14) :: [tumblr blog](http://bitterseaproduction.tumblr.com/) :: [music](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z) :: [ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/phoebeus)**


	15. Rendezvous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Music:** [More Than Friends](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbbNOe5HMhI&list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z&index=25) by Kyle Landry

“What’d you get?”

“Let’s see,” Atem hummed, splitting open his booster pack and catching the metallic wrapper between his fingers as he shuffled through the revealed cards. “Seven Tools of the Bandit… Armed Ninja… Upstart Goblin… _Heh.”_ He smirked, stalling on one particular card and turning it towards his partner. “Harpie Lady Sisters.”

“Haha! Who’d have thought?” Yuugi grinned, sharing Atem’s faint humor– and then the odd, checking pause that resulted when their gazes caught over the card.

They shot one another an uncertain look, the air between them hesitant, but… oddly pleasant in a way Atem couldn’t quite pin down, but certainly _felt._

When Yuugi shot him a tentative smile, Atem mirrored the look instantly, and the curious moment passed. They both faced forward, their feet moving naturally even as they focused on the cards.

“You think Mai-san might like another copy of that?”

“Perhaps. I could set it aside for when we see her next,” Atem suggested– only to catch a step when he processed his own words.

Yuugi paused at exactly the same time… and said nothing.

Atem… started walking again, pocketing his new cards as he shifted his gaze back to his partner– or at least the cards in his hand. “What did you get?”

“–Oh, I haven’t looked.” As they continued down the street, dodging pedestrians and bikes where needed, Yuugi fanned the cards out in his hand, so that they could both see the full spread. “Desert Sunlight, Shrink, Rebellion… _oh,_ another version of Summoned Skull– _Hey,_ look at this!”

Atem already was looking, but he accepted the card Yuugi passed to him without comment, simplyreading the name. “Spiral Spear Strike… _Aibou!”_ he exclaimed, bursting out in a bright grin at the description. “This is an amazing find!”

“Isn’t it? Couldn’t have asked for a better one, huh?”

“No. The piercing damage is fine enough, but the chance to draw cards in the bargain could make this a critical ace in a tight spot.”

“Yeah… Why don’t you hold onto it?”

Atem stalled again, eying his partner in surprise. “But this is from your pack. And you like Gaia, too.”

“Yeah, but he’s not in my current deck,” Yuugi countered, smiling faintly in a fond sort of way that– made Atem’s mind blank out for a moment… he had to prompt himself to _breath_ when Yuugi shrugged. “Just think of it as a gift, okay?”

“…Alright.” Atem put the card away, following Yuugi’s lead as he started walking again… falling into a stillness as they went that left him oddly conscious of his partner’s proximity, his own breathing, the pulse of blood in his fingertips as he rested his hands on his hips. Nothing much had really happened, but he still felt like he had somehow fallen into a moment, even as they moved, and he honestly wanted nothing more than to let it hang there, undisturbed… but he forced himself to at least say, “Thank you.”

“Happy to give it.”

The warmth curling through him finally rose up in a smile that he turned on his partner– though Yuugi kept facing forward, focusing his relaxed grin on the street before them.

That was fine. He was just looking for the next thing for them to do.

So far, they hadn’t done anything, save stop by a burger joint for lunch, and the card shop when they noticed a sale on booster packs announced in the store window. But, between eating light and rushing out of the shop before they could give in to the temptation to buy a whole _box_ of cards, they hadn’t spent more than five minutes in any one spot.

They still had half the afternoon ahead of them, and Yuugi was hunting for where they should spend it.

And Atem should probably be helping. Contributing more, or at least _saying_ more… but he just couldn’t dredge up any worry for his own silence. He was enjoying himself too much, watching out of the corner of his eye as Yuugi’s gaze and expressions shifted, wondering what his partner might notice or settle on next–

And there really wasn’t much need to come up with anything, because Yuugi found things just fine on his own.

“Hey, _mou hitori no boku?”_ he asked, shooting him a wry little grin as he pointed across the street. “Would that be too old hat?”

Atem quirked a brow at him, and followed his finger… to a small discount movie theater, tucked in among the stores, a small crowd of customers lined up at its door.

…Atem turned back to his partner, smiling. “What do you want to watch?”

* * *

_“Oh–”_

Atem’s back tensed as his partner choked down his reaction beside him, both of them taken off-guard by the gunshot that had gone off on-screen within seconds of the movie’s cold open. Turning his head, Atem kept his eyes on the screen, but leaned over until his nose brushed his partner’s hairline, mumbling, “That escalated quickly,” in his ear.

Yuugi shivered and fidgeted away from him, presumably jumpy from the scene on screen, which quickly proved to be some girl’s nightmare. Atem couldn’t see the details of his face, but Yuugi sounded natural enough as he tilted his head to whisper back, “I know… maybe we shouldn’t have picked a series movie after all?” Neither of them had seen the show this was based on, after all. But a comedic mystery had attracted both of them a lot more than a drama romance and _horror_ flick.

“I don’t… Wait, they’re explaining stuff,” Atem whispered back, prompting Yuugi to look up as the apparent protagonist narrated the premise of the series… and in front of them, someone turned around in their seat and looked back at them.

They didn’t say anything, and nothing of their features showed in the dark, but Atem cocked a brow in challenge, anyways. It was obvious, after all, that the stranger didn’t like that he and Yuugi talking.

…Perhaps _his_ face had shown in the light of the film, though, because the person turned back towards the screen without a word.

Atem turned to his partner, and saw the line of Yuugi’s shoulders rise in a shrug.  

Atem snorted in answer, facing the movie again.

Really, why did people think movie were a good _date_ activity, exactly?

They didn’t chance speaking again, but as the plot rolled on, and Atem found himself drawn in, and the story unfolded-

Yuugi choked on a laugh, shaking with the effort to hold it in at the antics of the movie detective.

Atem’s smile grew, lingering long after the humor of the scene warranted it.

* * *

“How’d you like it?”

“It was fun,” Atem assured, smiling shortly at his hopeful-eyed partner before opening the theater door, holding it open for Yuugi to rush through. “The mystery was fairly straightforward, but I liked Conan. It’d be interesting to try the show properly.” As they moved away from the exiting crowd and stalled out on the sidewalk, though, Atem’s good humor ebbed… replaced with an uncertain sincerity. “But, I’m not sure about the theater itself. I don’t like that I can’t talk to you.”

Yuugi didn’t seem to mind the criticism, though. On the contrary, he seemed to _warm_ to the point, mumbling nothing more than a soft, “Yeah…” at first. It was enough to let Atem relax, until Yuugi broke the easy silence to add, “If we watch something else, we should do it at home, where we can say whatever we like.”

“Aa…” He matched the smile, letting the quiet fall between them again… until Yuugi turned his growing grin to the ground, shuffled around, and started walking.

Atem wordlessly followed, moving double-time until he was at his partner’s side.

* * *

“Isn’t that the book your mother’s been excited about?”

“–Oh, hey, it _is.”_ Yuugi moved to join Atem in inspecting a bookstore window, a sign just inside announcing the title of a novel coming out just that day.

A shoulder lightly knocked into his, and Atem looked over into Yuugi’s smiling face. “Think we should surprise her with it?”

“Heh heh… Sure, but keep the receipt,” Atem advised, smirking as he led the way to the door. “For all you know, she ran out today and got it already.”

* * *

“Hey, what about this one?”

Atem quickly opened his eyes and smoothed his face out of a flinch, turning away from the line of mystery books he was supposed to be perusing to see what his partner was looking at– and paused.

Yuugi wasn’t facing the same shelf Atem was, but the one behind them.

The history section.

…Atem recovered after only a beat, tucking Yui’s novel under his elbow as he turned around and leaned over Yuugi’s shoulder. “What is it?” His partner had the book open already to a random page, text on one side while on the other, there was a portrait of a… Atem’s face relaxed in surprise, the pain in his head properly forgotten. “A _Sengoku_ lord?”

…He looked up when Yuugi didn’t answer, suddenly conscious of the tension in the back pressed against his shoulder.

Yuugi was looking down at the book, but his eyes were staring right through it, and– and there was a flush high in his cheek, running across his face and ears, and when he finally tilted his head Atem’s direction and his shoulder pressed back against Atem’s chest–

_Oh._

Understanding cracked over Atem’s head and dripped down his senses… but he only blinked through it, his expression relaxed as he stared right back into Yuugi’s dazed eyes, his… his lungs refusing to move as a warmth crept up his neck and face. But it was an… an oddly comfortable sensation, even as it tingled in his cheeks and hands.

And when Yuugi didn’t breathe, either, or look away? An impulse struck Atem to reach out and clutch his hip. Keep him close.

But he shouldn’t… and he didn’t need to. Yuugi stayed as he was all on his own, a smile twitching across his face that Atem slowly echoed. The warmth lingered as his partner looked back to his book, and time ticked on.

“It’s a biography on Date Masamune. It’s supposed to be focused on his war strategies.”

 _“Ah,_ interesting.” And he meant it. The Sengoku lord’s tactics were supposed to be legendary, after all, but Atem had never heard the details on them before. But, his focus remained largely on _Yuugi_ as his partner shut the book. “Are you going to buy it?”

“Maybe– if you’ll read it with me?” Yuugi looked up, questioning– only to break out in a big grin at the question in Atem’s eyes. He turned around, breaking the humming contact between their bodies, but only to _face_ Atem and hold the book out between them. “I won’t have much energy to study it on my own, what with finals and all coming up, but I thought, we could tackle it together?”

…Atem let the silence hang as he just grinned, drawing a smile out of his partner by look alone– before reaching out and taking the book. “Then I’ll buy it.” He waved it in the air a couple of times before putting it under his arm with Yui’s book, easily evading Yuugi’s protest with a firm, “You paid for the movie, after all.”

Yuugi opened his mouth to protest, anyways… but just huffed, scratching his nose with a quiet, “Thanks,” a smile half-hidden beneath his hand.

“Happy to give it, _aibou.”_

* * *

Atem parted briefly from his partner, leaving Yuugi to pick up his school bag from security and explore the front sales display while _he_ went and paid. The line wasn’t long, but apparently there was only one worker around, because it was a good ten minutes before he reached the front and handed over his cash.

And that was all it took for the pain that had been hanging behind his eyes to return in full force, a loud _clang_ where it had been only a low hum before.

He hovered near the counter an extra minute or so just trying to stifle it… then moved to the door.

Yuugi was right by it, frowning blindly at a display of bookmarks when Atem found him.

As soon as Yuugi spotted him, he started talking, insistent but oddly hesitant all at once. “Hey, _mou hitori no boku…_ about Mama, and _Jii-chan…_ and everyone…” But as Atem stalled and focused on him, paying full attention, Yuugi himself grew distracted, blinking from one sort of frown to another, and– “What’s wrong?”

“What?”

“You look really tired,” Yuugi claimed, moving close enough to search Atem’s eyes… mouth flattening further as Atem forced his features to relax.

Could his partner _tell_ when he was doing that?

“My head’s hurting,” Atem admitted, revealing his cards before he was even conscious of the decision. But there was nothing for it. If Yuugi already noticed his state, denial wouldn’t convince him. It would just upset him, and make things worse.

And Atem’s intuition quickly proved wise, the hint of distress in his partner giving way to a simple, calmer concern. “Again? …Do you want to go home?”

“No.” Atem shook his head, ignoring how it aggravated his pain when he furrowed his brow. “Not yet. I don’t want to lose this chance.” Yes, they lived together, but tomorrow they would be with friends and Yuugi had school most of the week and who knew about next week–

And he knew Yuugi agreed.

And moreover, his partner’s expression softened with the sentiment… and Atem sealed the answer with a firm but quiet, _“Please,”_ clutching the plastic bag the store had given him in place of his partner’s hand.

Yuugi bit his lip… then nodded, breathing out a sigh as he turned to go. “Come on.”

Atem’s shoulders drooped with relief, and he rushed to follow.

* * *

Atem heard the convenience store door chime, but didn’t look up. It had gone off at least once a minute for the last five, and it was never his partner.

It was the sound of feet approaching and coming to a stop at his side that finally prompted him to open his eyes– and find his partner there, offering him a small pill bottle. “Here you go.”

“–Thank you.” He accepted it, screwing off the top and thumbing through the protective tinfoil as his partner sat down on the bench beside him, backpack and plastic shopping bags dropping about their feet as Atem fished out the painkillers.

A water bottle was pressed into his hand before he could even think to need it, and Atem smiled faintly in place of further spoken gratitude, sharing the weak look with Yuugi.

He didn’t smile back, but the quiet worry in his face cracked into something lighter as Atem swallowed his pills.

The chilled water alone did wonders, and he sighed as he leaned back in his seat, his relief only amplified by his partner sitting back beside him, the two of them elbow-to-elbow and arm-to-arm as they looked out across the street.

Atem allowed the stillness for a while, enjoying the moment as much for its own sake as for the respite for his strained senses. But, even as he knew Yuugi would be patient with him, sit there in complete silence until the medicine did its work, Atem wanted to know– “What were you going to say?”

“Hmm?” Yuugi turned to him, tugging his eyes off of the road and tossing whatever thoughts had been distracting him aside in favor of Atem, asking by glance what he meant.

“Back at the bookstore. You were going to say something when I came out.”

“–Oh.” His partner’s face clouded over with the reminder, and he frowned down at his lap for a time, prompting Atem to wait on _him_ for an answer. But he didn’t mind. He could tell at a glance that, whatever it was, it was important… and difficult to ask.

So he waited, the half-drained water bottle caught between his hands– still, but clutched tight.

“…After you went to the counter to pay, back at the bookstore, I saw some girl looking at me oddly,” Yuugi started, shooting him an odd variation of a _shy_ smile. “I think she– well, _saw_ us back in the history section.”

Atem stopped breathing, squeezing the bottle. _Had somebody said something to–_

“She didn’t approach me or anything,” Yuugi said, his easy tones easing Atem before outrage could rise above his shock. Instead he fell into uncertainty, staring attentively into his frowning partner’s face as he went on. “But, I think we must have been kind of… _obvious,_ and that got me thinking……… do you think we should tell them?” Yuugi finally blurted out, sitting up straight with the question, his hands clenched on his thighs as he looked point blank at Atem.

But Atem… at first he didn’t quite understand, the question was so broken and unexplained. And then it was just– unexpected. And he shook his head a little in his surprise, muttering a mild, “I was going to let you decide that.” And he’d honestly thought Yuugi had _already_ decided. After all Jounouchi, and presumably none of their friends, knew what they were up today. So…

But Yuugi was frowning at him, shaking his head. “That shouldn’t just be my decision, _mou hitori no boku._ You– you’re in this too, after all.”

…Atem edged slowly into a smile, simply enjoying the fact Yuugi _was_ willing to say something to the others, and likely _would_ if Atem asked him to. And– “I trust them to accept it.” At least, in the simplest terms. It would be a shock to some, certainly. Maybe even all of them. And some… Atem wasn’t really sure what any of them thought of two guys being together, in the general sense. But they all loved Yuugi, and had accepted _him_ despite everything, so… however any of them might struggle, he had faith that _that_ is what would matter in the end. They wouldn’t push them away over this. That didn’t mean it would be _easy,_ though, and whatever Yuugi said– _“Aibou,_ you’ll have to face their responses far longer than I will.”

Yuugi met his gentle nudge with a sharp intake, freezing up… looking out across the street in an open effort to avoid his eyes.

Atem let him, dropping his own gaze to his bottle… moving one hand to grasp the Puzzle, instead.

He ran his thumb over one sharp point… and pressed down, poking himself in a bid for distraction.

“Then,” Yuugi started, prompting Atem to look up into his face, a numb sort of resignation sliding through him before his partner even spoke. “I will _eventually,_ but… not now.” He turned his head– met Atem quiet look for quiet look as he shrugged, the motion stiff. Tense. “They’d just worry, so…”

…He was right. Everything else aside, even if everyone _knew,_ and accepted, they would worry. For Yuugi’s sake.

 _He_ had, after all.

So, Atem nodded. Accepted.

It was _Yuugi_ who looked uncertain, his eyes seeking reassurance. “Is that alright?”

And so Atem offeredit, smiling as he nodded. “Yes, it’s alright. No– in fact, it’s probably for the best,” he corrected, his sudden smirk making his partner blink in surprise. “Given your mother might not like me being in your room if she knew.”

…

Yuugi sat bolt upright, somehow paling and blushing both at once. “That– _yeah,_ uh… _oh,_ we _really_ can’t let her know, can we? And we’ll have to be careful about what we do at home, too, in case she or _Jii-chan_ not–” he stopped mid-word as his eyes caught Atem’s… and that blush finally took over his face at the lingering grin on his face. “You know what I mean!”

Atem let out a chuckle, small and easy and soft, but utterly unacceptable if Yuugi’s red glower was anything to go by. But– the humor quickly fell away, leaving him merely warm as he looked at his partner. “I really don’t mind, _aibou._ Whatever you say, the most important thing to me is getting to be with you.”

Yuugi opened his mouth… then let it slowly shut, everything fading out of him but a soft wonder. _“Mou hitori no boku…”_

He didn’t answer. He didn’t need to, for he had said everything he needed to. He merely smiled, letting the affection that had prompted him to speak in the first place show freely. And, incredible as it was, Yuugi mirrored the look right back at him… and Atem honestly didn’t mean to speak at _all_ when he said, “You’re so amazing when you smile like that. I could look at you forever.”

But he wouldn’t have taken it back. The way Yuugi sucked in his breath, stared at him, and _shuddered_ as his face flushed red was– too good. “You… it… you can’t just _say that!”_ he blurted out breathlessly, his lack of air clearly the only thing stifling the words down from a full screech.

–Well, that wasn’t the reaction Atem had been _going_ for, but he saw no issue with openly smirking at his partner now that the moment was already broken. “I think I just did.”

Yuugi let out some strangled sound and scooted away, but the way he struggled to pull his eyes _away_ from Atem told him his partner wasn’t actually upset. There was only shock and disbelief in his gaze, and when Atem stared warmly right through it, Yuugi stood up, his face glowing. “C-come on. If you’re feeling better, I thought of somewhere else to go.”

Yuugi turned and started walking, not even waiting for an answer.

Atem didn’t rush to follow, his eyes trailing down to the ground.

–He chuckled as he saw his partner’s backpack, picking it up along with his own bag as he stood, trailing behind at a leisurely pace. “Yes, sir.”

* * *

“I’ve got the left side! You go right!”

“Got it!” Atem yelled back, ducking into the crate maze at Yuugi’s instruction– and shooting down two people as soon as they came into sight.

He smirked as he reloaded his gun, taking the quickest of glances towards his partner.

The focused, heated look on Yuugi’s face sent a tingle up Atem’s spine and made his smirk permanent as he turned back to the gaming screen.

He’d been having a blast since they got to the arcade, his headache completely stifled now, and leaving him free to play without holding back. They’d been in the bright, loud room for a good hour now, jumping from game to game, Atem encouraging Yuugi to beat the record on Space Invaders and praising his success, Yuugi returning the support and wonder as Atem scooped up tickets at the Skee-Ball lane, the both of them having fun at the racing games–

But _this_ was Atem’s favorite yet. There was nowhere else in the arcade he could play shoulder-to-shoulder with his partner like this shooting game.

It was fast-paced game, however, and Atem stopped thinking about how fun it all was and just fell back into it, shooting fighter after fighter as Time Crisis 2 pushed them forward through the obstacles, the only pauses the pre-set cinematics as they played through the ‘story’.

“Phew,” Yuugi huffed on a particularly long one at the end of the second stage, rolling his shoulders as he turned to Atem, a frayed edge to his smile. “I think that’s the best run I’ve had so far. You think we might have a high score here?”

“Don’t think about it too much,” Atem advised, grinning brightly but insistently before looking back to the screen, the English chatter of the game characters coming to an end. “Just focus on playing. The scores will take care of themselves.”

_“Right.”_

And it did. When the final shot was made and the villain fell to his death, Atem froze in still-caught adrenaline while Yuugi went completely slack, dropping the gun to his side with a shaky smile. “Aw, _man!_ I can’t believe we had that!”

“Aa,” Atem breath, slowly lowering his hands as the screen flashed on, a smile breaking out across his face when he saw– “And we got the score! Congratulations, _aibou,_ it looks like you got 1.5% more of the enemies than I…” He turned to look at his partner, only to trail off with a confused blink when he saw Yuugi staring at something behind them.

…Atem turned around, and found a crowd of a dozen or so people gawking back at him.

 _“...Man,_ that was amazing!” someone breathed, prompting everyone to start beaming and calling out their praise.

Atem didn’t move or speak, stockstill and blank-faced as his partner coughed beside him.

“T-thank you?”

* * *

“It’s too bad you didn’t get to try that fighting game,” Yuugi said, stalling to eat a bite and swallow before adding, “It looked really fun.”

“I don’t mind.” Atem shot his partner a smile, then turned his eyes forward again, careful to watch his step with food in his hands. “Even if we never go back there, I had fun as it was.”

They had had to clear out of that arcade within minutes of finishing Time Crisis 2, when the crowd proved too insistent in its fond interest in them both, and discovered once they got outside that the sun was going down. While they might have managed one or two more games back in the arcade, there was no time to find something else to do.

But it didn’t matter. As they made their way back to the station, rode the train and bus home, and ended up back in their own neighborhood, there had been nothing between the two save easy, content chatter– about the games they played, and the movie they’d just watched, and the sights they’d seen… and sometimes, nothing at all. When Yuugi took them on a detour to a familiar curry take-out restaurant, they’d spend the ten minutes or so waiting for food in complete silence, sitting out on the curb until their name was called. They’d had things to do even then, of course– the book they’d bought, and the cards, and Yuugi surely had a handheld or two in his book bag… but they just didn’t need any of it. They’d just stared down a road they both knew like the back of their hand, at ease, shooting one another passing smiles as they took in the evening and their own company.

And Atem didn’t know what Yuugi had been thinking. _Couldn’t_ know such things anymore– a truth that still stung sometimes, but he kept finding new reasons to not miss it, or at least not wish back what they had _once_ had. After all, before? He never could have answered Yuugi’s relieved grin and quiet, “Really?” with a passing lean against his shoulder– the most contact he could manage while walking with curry in his hands, but he savored the small touch for what it was.

“Yes. It was a good day.”

“Yeah,” Yuugi said to his food, spooning another bite… looking back up at Atem as he swallowed, a faint, uncertain grin twitching at his face. “Still, we’re missing something _pretty_ crucial if this is supposed to be– you know, a real _date.”_

To his credit, Atem didn’t trip at the word again. His _heart_ might have, but _he_ just smiled, continuing to walk and eat. It would have been easy to say he didn’t care what a ‘real’ date was supposed to be, it was more than he could have asked for as it was. But he saved the statement, tucking it away for _after_ he quenched his curiosity. “And what might that be?”

…Yuugi didn’t answer.

In fact, he stopped walking.

Atem stalled with him, turning curious, vaguely concerned eyes on his partner, but Yuugi didn’t look distressed or low in anyway. He still had the spoon in his mouth, and he seemed to be thoughtfully sucking on it as he stared down the road. And it was getting dark enough that it was hard to catch the fine details of a face, but there was light enough that, when Yuugi finally looked his way, Atem could see his gaze was checking, and uncertain.

What was he thinking?

Atem didn’t know, but he said nothing when Yuugi shifted his food to one hand and grabbed his wrist, leading him up the street. The contact took Atem aback, true, but it was his partner leading him down an alley between two shops that stole the breath out of his chest. He _knew_ this place. His partner had been cornered here once before, by a gang, who apparently thought it was out of sight enough to get away with hounding Yuugi undisturbed.

It… was out of sight.

He didn’t say anything, but Atem connected the dots enough on his own, breathless and dazed by the time Yuugi stalled behind a dumpster, his eyes focused back the way they had come. “Sorry, it’s not the best, but it’s probably as good as we’re going to get if we want to–”

“I understand.”

Yuugi turned back to him, and… and it was even darker here, away from the street lights, but Atem, he… maybe his tone had been enough, because Yuugi went still, and didn’t speak. Didn’t ask. They just… stood there… until Atem set his shopping bag on the ground, shifted spoon and bowl to one hand… and offered the other to his partner.

Yuugi took it, clutching it instantly, and stepped forward.

Atem couldn’t embrace him. Not without letting go of his hand, or putting down his food. But he used what he had, squeezing his fingers tight and _prompting_ Yuugi to move closer– their noses finding one another in the dark.

Atem shut his eyes, breathed deep, tilted his head so that their brows tapped, noses brushing with the shift. The contact was– centering, left him starkly aware of his partner there, _right_ there, letting out long, shuddering breaths.

He could hear it. Hear every breath his partner took… and Atem just listened, heart simmering, basking in the sound until Yuugi, inevitably, sought his mouth.

He allowed it, sighing himself at the light press– their grip pulsing in time with the careful, soft shift of their mouths.

The kiss blocked out all else.

He wanted it to last. To go on forever. To revel in it, as he had reveled in simply having his partner close.  

But he couldn’t. Even there, technically out of sight, they were risking a lot, and there was no hiding from that… and while that added a desperate sweetness to it all, made Atem clench his bowl until he felt lukewarm curry on his thumb, and urged him to follow those soft, uncertain lips at least _once_ when his partner tried to pull away… it had to pass.

Yuugi stepped back… and they looked at each other.

And there was no shock or disbelief there. Not this time.

Just– smiles. Small, and amazed, and _happy._

Atem reached down and picked up his bag, indicating with nod that he was good to go– never breaking his smile away from Yuugi.

His partner’s grin just kept growing with the attention, splitting clear across his face by the time he turned to avoid running into the dumpster. “Do you uh, want to read that book when we get home? Or just play a game?”

There was a coy edge to Atem’s voice, unmistakable as he followed his partner back out to the street. “I thought you had homework this weekend?”

“I’ve got all Sunday for that! Or– well, after bowling, at least… the point is, I want to spend time with you tonight.” Atem tilted his head just enough to look at his partner– but Yuugi was already looking back at _him…_ the simple sincerity of his gaze and words tangible enough to taste. And so good.

Atem faced forward again, a smile ghosting across his face. “Hmm, that doesn’t sound like something I should encourage.”

“Is that a no?”

“Nope! I want to do both.”

Yuugi let out a strangled snort, and though Atem didn’t turn back to him, he knew his own amusement must be shining bright, for all to see. _Yuugi_ certainly saw it, and it showed in his partner’s voice as he laughed, calming down to a soft chuckle as he asked, “Ah _-ha,_ kay… which first, then?”

“Hmm…” Atem hummed as they turned a corner, his eyes catching on the shop as it came into view… shrugging with a serene smirk as the pair drew closer to home. “Dealer’s choice.”

“Huh, okay…” Yuugi trailed off, letting the last few blocks pass in silence… before suddenly piping up as they reached the household door. “Maybe I’ll just surprise you, then!”

 _“Heh.”_ Atem answered his partner’s pleased grin with one of his own… then caught Yuugi’s hand just as he was about to unlock the door. He claimed the keys for himself, and, looking around just long enough to be certain no one was walking by, ducked his head to ghost a kiss across Yuugi’s lips– so light, he felt it more with the heart than the mouth. _“Deal.”_

When Atem unlocked the door and walked inside, Yuugi… didn’t say anything. And when Atem looked back, he saw his partner was still standing the doorway, running an absent knuckle across his bottom lip as he stared after him…

Atem didn’t look away, standing in the entrance way as he stared into Yuugi’s clear, soft wonder, echoing it warmly back and–

“Yuugi-kun, Atem-kun, is that you?! Come in! They’re replaying the taiga episode from last week!”

Atem’s eyes flickered towards the family room, but never fully turned away from his partner. And his lingering attention allowed him to catch the grin that rose to Yuugi’s face, just before he called, “We’ll be right there!”

Yuugi stepped inside, never breaking their gaze, or their shared smile, as he shut the front door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Music:** [Kataware Doki](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4O9lB0A9ns&index=26&list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z) Cover by Theishter
> 
> **[twitter](https://twitter.com/Phoebeus14) :: [tumblr blog](http://bitterseaproduction.tumblr.com/) :: [music](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z) :: [ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/phoebeus)**


	16. Sunday, June 28th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy White Day! Here, have some puzzle boys for your holiday needs.
> 
>  **Music:** [Rosalina's Comet Observatory](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOtr2kHu3Jw&t=0s&index=27&list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z)

_“No way!”_

Yuugi didn’t echo Jounouchi’s call, or Anzu’s amazed praise, or even Honda’s astonished cry of “How’d you do that?!”

He simply sat there, silent among his friends, beaming down on the bowling lane and the man standing before it.

Atem turned around and grinned at them all, triumph painted across his face. And as he moved to rejoin the table, his gaze caught and lingered with Yuugi’s, sharing an extra curl of a smile with him before he shifted his attention back to the group as a whole. As he sat down beside Anzu, Atem honed in on Honda in specific, answering his question. “There’s some luck involved, but if you know the trick to it, you can usually manage a spare.”

“Yeah, sure,” Jounouchi scoffed, his derision a thin veil over obvious awe. “But managing to hit _both_ pins in a _full split?!”_

“You just have to aim for one of the pins so that it’ll clip the edge, and–”

 _“Woah,_ Atem-kun,” Anzu interjected, waving a staying hand in his face before leaning towards him, shifting her voice into a mock whisper as her grin remained fixed on the visibly irked Jounouchi. “You aren’t giving tips to an opponent right in the middle of a game, are you?”

Atem stared at her for a full three seconds… then smirked, chuckling in belated amusement. “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking.” He apologized, shifting his attention from Anzu to his other teammate, who sat on the girl’s other side.

Yuugi smiled right back at him, shaking his head. “It’s fine! Even if you know that move, it takes a while to master it. Besides, this is all just for fun.”

“That’s no reason not to take it seriously, _aibou.”_ The sincerity woven into Atem’s warm-eyed tease made Yuugi snort and look down at his burger, his smile stretching far beyond what the comment likely called for.

It refused to soften, even when a sudden laugh from Otogi grabbed his attention.

“Seriously,” he was saying, lounging casually back in his seat as he eyed the ‘team’ sitting across from him at the table. “Whose bright idea was it to let Anzu claim Yuugi-kun _and_ Atem-kun for this game?”

“If you have some complaint, Otogi-kun,” the girl said, grinning open challenge at the gamer. “You should have voiced it before we started. It’s too late to take it back now.”

“Eh, what were we going to do, anyways?” Honda sighed, his chin supported in his hand as he focused on his food, dipping a fry in some ketchup. “Ban the two from ever teaming up in one of our games?”

“I wouldn’t accept that,” Yuugi countered instantly, voice quietly firm as he looked to his other self.

He was looking right back at him, open, pleased warmth in his eyes. “Neither would I.”

“Me _either.”_ –The two both turned to blink in surprise at Jounouchi, but their best friend just grinned. “What kind of stupid handicap would that be, huh? If the rest of us can’t beat the two of you on the same terms, then that just means _we_ need to step up our game.”

“Easy for you to say.” Honda’s comment merely floated in the background of Atem’s grin and Yuugi’s bright agreement– a fine counterpoint to the quiet chuckle of the pale-haired teen sitting at the head of the table.

“I must say, games have definitely gotten a lot livelier since Atem-kun and Yuugi-kun started playing with us at the same time,” Bakura commented, prompting Yuugi’s smile to soften as he focused on him.

“Thanks, Bakura-kun. Though, it’s too bad we can’t _all_ play at once here, now that there’s seven of us. That is, at least as teams… Are you sure you’re okay with sitting out the game? We could still all play for personal highest score.”

“Yuugi-kun!” Anzu gasped, mock hurt shining on her face. “You wouldn’t abandon me now, would you?”

 _“Heh,_ what, Anzu?” Jounouchi cut right through Yuugi’s sudden dramatic blustering with a smirking grin. “You think you can’t win without Yuugi and Atem to back you up?”

–The girl’s joking indignation fell flat as she focused on the blond.

Atem and Yuugi stared at Anzu with twin sideways glances, subtly leaning away from her as she pinned Jounouchi down by glare alone.

 _He,_ in turn, looked away, trying valiantly to look unfazed… and failing spectacularly.

“But, _then again,”_ Anzu started. “If you _do_ want to play, Bakura-kun–”  

A laugh from the would-be seventh wheel cut through the tension, popping it like a bubble so quickly that it left them all blinking.

“No, no, it’s fine!” Bakura countered, smiling so brightly that Yuugi felt silly for holding onto that little nugget of concern in the first place, even as logic said he was right to worry. Bakura was quick to punch holes in his anxiety, after all, his cheeriness striking Yuugi as completely transparent and true. “I think the benefits of an odd number of players outway the issues. And besides, I liked the idea of bowling most of all because we can all hang out and chat as we play, and share in the fun whenever someone does well– like just now,” he tacked on, shooting Atem a smile and earning a short chuckle and acknowledging nod in return.

“Thanks, Bakura. But if you _do_ want to play yourself, maybe you and the three who win this round could split into pairs, and play against each other.”

“Hey, _yeah!”_ Jounouchi yelled, focusing on the clearly intrigued Bakura. “That’d put a real weight on who wins, too!”

“I think you put that weight on all of us already,” Honda grumbled not-so-quietly, eyeing Anzu… who was thoughtfully, and _pointedly_ , looking at the bowling lane.

“Hmn, it _would_ be cool to get to play another round, seeing as we’ll _definitely_ win and get the chance,” she said, earning an instant snort from Jounouchi that she ignored in favor of smiling apologetically at Bakura-kun. “I’m afraid I only have time for one game today, though, since I have practice this afternoon. –And shouldn’t you be playing right now?” she asked suddenly, pinning a raised brow on Jounouchi… who stared blankly back at her before eying the score board.

“Oh. _Right.”_

“Get a move on, man, or we won’t even finish _this_ round.” Honda pushed on Jounouchi’s arm until he got up, smacking his hand off his arm as he went.

“I’m going! I’m going! Don’t push me!”

“Good luck, Jounouchi-kun!” Yuugi called after him, before shifting his attention to the girl beside him. “And it’s fine, Anzu-chan. Even if you could stay, our time’s going to be up soon. We only paid for an hour.”

“Yeah, and besides, I need to get back to the mall after this.” Otogi looked at each one of them with grateful eyes, a sharp sincerity marking his usually casual demeanor. “Thanks to all of you, we should be ready in time for our grand opening. And you should all definitely come by the first day. I’ll get you your first drinks on the house. You too,” he added as he focused in on Atem, who shook his head with a soft smirk.

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Eh, call it a ‘saved the world’ freebie.” Otogi waved dismissively, matching Atem look for amused look. “I saw that news feature. If you hadn’t stopped that demon a couple weeks ago, I wouldn’t have a café _to_ open. Or any customers to buy food, for that matter.”

Atem grinned, shaking his head. “I didn’t do that alone. Or for a free drink.”

“It’s not a bad bonus though, right?” Honda joked, smiling.

Before any of them could laugh or reply, Bakura spoke up. “Jounouchi-kun’s going.”

“Oh–” Yuugi turned his head just in time to see the pins fall, and he gave the loudest cry of all when all ten toppled over. “Way to go!!”

 _“Whoo,_ two in a row!!” Jounouchi hooted, shooting a fist in the air as he grinned up at them. “One more, and I’m set! Told you I’d get the first turkey!”

“At this rate, you definitely will!” Atem agreed, grinning brightly as their friend rejoined them– and looking beside him when Anzu chimed in.

“Where did you learn to play like that anyways, Jounouchi-kun?”

Jounouchi stalled, halfway back into his seat beside Honda, and shot Anzu a surprised stare… relaxing with a dismissive, but still clear gratification when he saw nothing in her face but sincere appreciation. “Heh, it’s just luck.”

“That so? Well, here’s hoping I’m just as lucky. Atem-kun?”

“Aa.” Atem obligingly stood up, stepping out of the way long enough for Anzu to slide out of the booth and go take her turn. He watched her go before retaking his seat… and sliding into the middle of the booth.

Beside Yuugi.

Yuugi stalled mid-sip of his soda, eying Atem as he came in close, surprise mingling with a quiet, abstract delight.

Atem met his shock with a smile Yuugi quickly mirrored– an expression they might have shared with any of their friends, at any time, and to any outsider it might have looked just like any of those other smiles. But Yuugi knew that it was different, and _Atem_ knew that it was different. And that shared knowledge created a completely unique meaning that hummed in the air between them like a private, silent tune.

Yuugi reveled in that silence, listened to it… then turned back to his other friends.

He froze when he saw Honda looking right back at him.

At _them._

Jounouchi, Bakura, and Otogi were all watching Anzu pick out her bowling ball, but _Honda_ was staring at _them_ with an unblinking, _knowing_ look.

Because… yeah, Honda _did_ know. Atem told Yuugi what Honda had said that night, back at Bakura’s, and how he had confirmed what he knew the day Kaiba showed up at the shop. Honda _knew_ that… well, that Yuugi and Atem weren’t just friends.

At the very least, he knew _that_ much.

And Yuugi hadn’t said anything to his friends about what had happened _that_ weekend, and he knew Atem hadn’t either… but, he wouldn’t have been surprised if Honda had _guessed._ Put it together from… well, from how happy they were.

But he hadn’t said anything. And until Atem mentioned Honda last night, Yuugi hadn’t had the faintest idea that Honda knew _anything,_ even though they’d been at the mall together, and in class, and now here. Honda hadn’t said or done _anything_ to give away his awareness.

Until now.

And now, seeing Yuugi tense under his attention?

Honda sniffed, mouth twitching with the faintest of grins before he dismissed them, focusing on Anzu.

…

…Had… he just…

Was that supposed to be avoidance? Or approval?

Yuugi turned to Atem, seeking insight, but his other self merely shrugged, his own expression relaxed… but thoughtful.

He was as uncertain as he was.

That solidarity eased Yuugi, and he turned away, focused on cheering Anzu when she managed a surprise spare. He told himself Honda hadn’t done _anything_ yet, and it looked like he was just going to let sleeping dogs lie.

Yuugi could think about it later.

Pushing the thoughts aside, he focused on his friends, listened to Jounouchi as he asked Bakura what he had meant earlier. “You know, when you said ‘the benefits of an odd number of players.’ What’s so cool about there being seven of us?”

“Oh! Well, I was namely thinking of how it encourages us to mix up our teams. Before, when it was just the six of us, we tended to break up into the same two trios all of the time.”

“You mean Jounouchi claimed Yuugi and Honda all the time.” Otogi grinned widely at the blond as he stood to take his turn, patting Bakura’s shoulder as he passed by his seat. “You can just say it, you know.”

“Excuse me for having the good sense to pick the best team! No offense Bakura, Anzu,” Jounouchi yelled after Otogi, just to soften his irritated tones as he addressed the named two.

“Offense taken,” Anzu said as she rejoined them, but she was smiling as she slid in beside Atem, and there was no anger in her tone or face. And she proved she had caught the rest of conversation when she added, “But I agree, Bakura-kun. It’s good to mix things up sometimes. Like with that paintball game last week.” She laughed, turning her smile on Yuugi– and he couldn’t help but offer one back, a familiar, distinct sweetness welling up in his chest. “We were all practically walking rainbows by the time we were– good try, Otogi-kun!” she cheered, interrupting herself.

 _“Aaa,_ don’t try to soften it, Anzu!” Otogi called back, glowering up from where he had just taken his turn. “I got a freaking _gutter,_ there’s no coming back from that!”

“Not with that attitude, there ain’t!” Jounouchi yelled back, while beside him Honda chuckled, still focused on Anzu and her comments.

“Yeah, that paintball game was pretty fun. It kind of reminded me of that tag game we played in Death-T, remember?”

“Oh, _don’t bring that up,”_ Jounouchi complained, instantly focusing back on the conversation as he grimaced. “I almost _died,_ remember? A guy literally chased me with a chainsaw.”

“Wait, what?” Otogi was back, but he stalled right beside the booth to gape at Jounouchi, while beside him, in his seat, Bakura stared in pure surprise.

“I’ve never heard this story before.”

“Pfft, of course not! It’s not an episode I like to remember.”

Right. Of course he wouldn’t.

Yuugi, who had been silent and stiff since the topic was brought up, quietly cut in before Bakura could reply. “I’m sorry you had to go through it in the first place, Jounouchi-kun.” After all, he had been there for _his_ sake, so if the memory still troubled him that much–

But as soon as he spoke, Jounouchi was staring at him with open alarm. He tried to stand up, making the table shake and everyone scramble to keep food and drinks from toppling over. “Yuugi, _don’t even!_ That whole thing was _Kaiba’s_ fault, not yours, so don’t go claiming even a _dash_ of his blame, you got it?!”

Yuugi… couldn’t answer. His throat was too clogged, the emotion striking him too sudden and unexpected for tears, but still strong enough to make it hard to breathe.

But it passed as quickly as it came, gratitude rising high and overflowing out of his mind he grinned through the backlash. “Yeah…”

Jounouchi nodded, mouth curling in an answering smile, even as his eyes remained serious.

“Yeah, well,” Honda started uncertainly, doubt for if he should speak at all painted on his face as they looked at him. “I wasn’t thinking about that part, anyways. Just the tag game part. Even if the weapons were actually fatal, that was–”

A light pressure pressed against Yuugi’s thigh, and Honda’s words faded out of focus as Yuugi looked down.

There was nothing there, and the sensation had disappeared before he could even catch the source.

But, just beside him, Atem’s hand was sliding over his knee. As though it had _just_ been somewhere else.

…Yuugi looked up, eying his other self tentatively.

Atem’s answer was just as silent, and just as clear, his expression soft but composed. Composed in that way it always was when he aimed to assure.

The look only faltered into a more vulnerable relief when Yuugi smiled soundly back, and even then, only for a second. Atem soon broke their gaze, turning a light frown on Honda. “Still, I’m surprised _you_ can think of any part of that day as a good memory, considering you nearly died yourself.”

Honda gave a soft huff, scratching the side of his nose as he dodged their eyes. “Yeah, that wasn’t _pleasant,_ but still–”

“Hey, that’s right!” Jounouchi leaned forward in his seat as he focused on Atem, staring at him like _he_ had somehow shocked _him._ “Didn’t you get pretty mad that time, too? We could even see it when Yuugi was still in control and everything.”

–Yuugi straightened in his seat, turning to his other self.

Atem just… stared blank-faced at Jounouchi. Not saying anything.

“Okay,” Otogi said from his reclaimed seat, drawing everyone’s attention as he put both up hands in a ‘hold on’ gesture. “Again, _what?”_

Bakura didn’t add any verbal comment, but his gaze was just as confused.

And then Honda himself spoke up, an uncertain frown on his face. “Yeah, I– don’t know about this one, either.” He looked to Atem, as if for an answer… but Atem still didn’t speak.

And Yuugi remained silent, too, wordlessly searching his other self’s face.

Beside them, Anzu was talking. “Death-T was this deadly set of games Kaiba-kun pushed Yuugi-kun through after he hurt his grandfather, and Honda-kun and Jounouchi-kun supported him, and I was working for his theme park at the time–” but the words faded into a blur as Atem apparently felt Yuugi’s attention, and met his gaze… the flat, vacant look on his face dissolving into a weighted, but still true warmth.

And Yuugi understood. Because he felt the same.

Because that memory wasn’t an easy one, but it really wasn’t _bad,_ either. Not anymore. His friends and grandfather had all survived that dark game, and even Kaiba had become a friend in the end. Nothing was really lost, and knowing that softened nearly every memory from that day.

Even that one.

The memory of thinking they had lost Honda… how that had brought Atem’s rage boiling to surface… and how Yuugi had answered that rage with fear.

Fear of the unknown.

Of losing his friends.

Of _Atem._

But… that was okay. Even remembering that, seeing _Atem_ remember that, couldn’t hurt anymore. They had buried those worries long ago. There was no fear left in Yuugi’s heart, and Atem knew that. Trusted that. Yuugi _trusted_ that he trusted that.

But, still, the memories remained… and Yuugi wouldn’t have it any other way.

The memories were what gave the _now_ meaning.

Even _that one._ The memory of what might well have been the lowest point in their bond, before it had ever really begun. Even the disconnect they had suffered in the wake of their duel against Kaiba, back at Pegasus’s castle, couldn’t quite compare. Because Yuugi might have pushed Atem away then, but he had at least _acknowledged_ him. Before, he wasn’t just _feared_ or _distrusted_ Atem. He hadn’t understood him. Hadn’t really thought of him as _person._

He was just a shadow. The shadow that had come from the Puzzle. The blur in his mind that did strange, sometimes good, sometimes terrifying things, and might well scare his friends away if they ever discovered the truth.

And it was… it was just night and day, next to now.

And that had all been little more than a year ago, but everything had changed.

…Really, when Yuugi thought about it? It was _shocking_ how far they had come since then. _Strange,_ and really, really wonderful.

 _Funny, too,_ Yuugi thought, grinning to  himself. Because honestly, who would have thought that the one who’d once hidden in the shadows of his heart would _become_ his heart?

The thought made him want to chuckle, and it must have shown in his face, because Atem’s expression lightened, shifted to curiosity as he arched a brow at him. But Yuugi just shook his head, longing to repeat his thoughts, share the sentiment, assure and emphasize and dismiss that beginning all at once, hand it all to Atem and… he didn’t know. That was the problem, really. It wasn’t an impulse Yuugi could put into words.

But Yuugi passed along what he could by glance alone, the effort more a look than a smile… and _Atem_ shot _him_ a look that Yuugi knew well, too. From before. From when they could pass their affection directly through the soul. That look was the one Atem always gave him with the _return_ of that feeling.

Atem heard him.

Yuugi smiled, turned back to their friends– and laughed with them, never even hearing what the joke was. And the humor still eluded him as they calmed and kept talking, because his focus was on keeping his hands on his knees. On keeping them still.

On keeping them from reaching out for Atem.

Beside him, Atem was quiet, his arms crossed over his chest… but he shifted subtly, restless as he never was, his hands clenched tight on his biceps.

Knowing why made Yuugi smile, his chest heavy and full.

Satisfied.

“…Yuugi-kun? _Yuugi-kun?”_

“Huh?” Yuugi blinked blind eyes to Anzu. “Sorry?”

She peered back at him curiously, faint confusion shifting into a smile as she took in his. “It’s your turn, remember?”

“…Oh, right.” He laughed, sliding out of the booth. “I forgot. Just a minute!”   

“Good luck, _aibou!”_

Yuugi grinned, but didn’t answer, making a bee-line for the lane with his friends’ cries of support at his back.

* * *

“Isn’t it a bit cruel to play that in front of me?”

Atem shifted his palm from his chin to his cheek and turned his head so he could look at his partner.

But Yuugi wasn’t looking back at him. He was frowning at the Mahjong tiles laid out on the low living room table, between Atem and his opponent.

Across from him, Sugoroku chuckled. “If it’s a problem, you could do your homework up in your room. I’ll keep Atem busy down here until you’re done.”

“What, and spend the whole evening alone?”

“I certainly _hope_ that won’t take the entire evening.” Three heads turned towards the woman sitting on the couch, just behind Sugoroku. Yui had been reading, quietly enjoying her family’s company as the evening wore on and dinner settled in their stomachs. But now, she closed her book until only her finger marked her place, and focused a frown on her son. “You didn’t leave _that_ much work for Sunday night, did you?”

“No,” Yuugi claimed, looking down at his book in what Atem could only call a dodge to hide his face. “It’s just hard to focus.”

“Then I suggest you stop talking, or go upstairs, as your grandfather suggested.”

Yuugi grimaced, but didn’t look up– earning another laugh from Sugoroku.

“Come on, my boy,” he coaxed, smiling when Yuugi met his eye. “If you wrap it up fast enough, you can play yourself before bed.”

“That’s…” Yuugi trailed off with no more than that word, looking again at the tiles… until his mother called his name.

_“Yuugi-kun.”_

“Right, right…” he grumbled, picking up his pencil again… his eye catching Atem’s.

Atem hadn’t say anything throughout the talk, but the moment their eyes met, he twitched a small smile into place, holding it until Yuugi timidly mirrored it, and looked away… then Atem didn’t bother to hold it, smoothing his expression back into a simple ease– forced as it might be.

His head hurt.

Again.

But, it was negligible enough. Like a toothache, but right between the eyes, pulsing distractingly upwards through his head. And he was sure that the pain was to blame for the careless move he had made in the last round of the game, discarding a tile he had _just suspected_ would lead to a win for Sugoroku.

It had, the man loudly proclaimed _ron_ as he took the tile and showed his hand.

Now, they were well into their second round, and Atem still couldn’t think past the distracting pressure enough to decide if he was should take the risk and go for seven pairs, or double down and hope for a half-flush and–

“Nagase came by again today.”

Atem tugged his eyes off of the tiles and stared at Sugoroku. “Who?”

“What, you forgot?!” He glowered at Atem with a surprising amount of disapproval, though there was still a lightness to his demeanor that kept Atem from tensing amid his confusion. “The girl from last week. The college student looking for a game to share.”

 _“Oh!”_ Atem grinned with the recollection, recalling the blue haired, anxious girl Sugoroku meant. “Of course. What did she need?”

“She said she was hoping you’d be around to show her more card games. Which had me wondering, you _did_ sell her that Mahjong set she was eying when she came in last week, right?”

“No, I didn’t. She liked cards more in the end, so I just showed her how to play poker and she left, since she already had a basic deck at home.”

 _“Ah,_ Atem-kun! I know you just wanted to help her, but you could have approached it with _sales_ more in mind!” Sugoroku sighed… smiling as his turned away eyes caught sight of his grandson. Atem followed his gaze and realized that Yuugi was peering back at them both, confusion and tentative interest lighting his face. Before Atem could speak himself, Sugoroku explained, “Nagase-chan came in last week looking for some game she could use to ‘break the ice’ with her college club during a get together, and I nearly had her buying a Mahjong set when Yui-chan called me in for lunch. So, I left her with Atem to wrap up.”

“–And Atem showed her poker, instead,” Yuugi wrapped up, shifting his gaze back to him with a faint smile.

Atem just shrugged, turning back to Sugoroku. “I don’t think Nagase is her first name.”

“Oh, either way,” the man answered, scanning his tiles with a distracted eye. “At least you seem to be drawing customers back in. She made do with a blackjack lesson, since that was all I had time to show her, but she said she’d be by again to see what you had promised to come up with.”

“I have a couple of ideas.” Atem shifted his gaze back to his partner with a smile. “She seemed faintly intrigued by some Duel Monster packs when I pointed them out. We might make a duelist out of her, if I can just get the chance to show her how to play.”

“Why wait until a work shift?” Atem and Yuugi both turned to Sugoroku at the question, and the older man smiled back at them both before focusing an arched brow at his game opponent. “If you can catch her again, why not just arrange to meet some other time, and _hang out_ while you’re at it?”

“That would be fun,” Atem admitted, but he shook his head at Sugoroku’s wide smile. “But no, I don’t have time for anything that involved.”

“That so?” He looked ready to actually protest… then seemed to reconsider it, shaking his head with a faint, heavy smile. “Suit yourself, then.”

Atem relaxed as Sugoroku dropped the subject, dismissing him in favor of picking up a tile and adding it to his hand, discarding another in its stead. Atem’s gaze followed the tossed tile, noting its number and deciding not to claim it… and as he turned back to his own hand, he noticed.

Yuugi.

It wasn’t a sixth sense or anything, or some echo of their connection. Atem just happened to glance at him. He did so regularly whenever his partner was around, after all. Even when Yuugi didn’t notice, it was heartening to see him there. Close by.

But Yuugi _did_ notice this time, since he was _frowning_ at him when Atem turned his way.

Atem stalled, hesitating at the expression on his partner’s face. But, Yuugi softened the instant he saw the uncertainty in Atem’s gaze, smiling– until a voice cut through the moment.

 _“Yuugi-kun,”_ Yui sighed, looking more tired than perturbed as she lowered her book again. “You’re the one who left homework until the last minute. If you can’t stay focused on it _now–”_

“Right, right.” Yuugi didn’t fight it, or even stall, shooting Atem another quick smile before turning back to his work book.

Atem kept staring, focused on his partner’s brow, hesitating… until Sugoroku grabbed his attention.

“Are you going to draw?”

–Atem turned back to the tiles, reaching for a new one from his ‘deck’… eyeing it only for a moment before tossing it, proclaiming its name with the discard. “White Dragon.”

* * *

Atem was in the White Dragon cave.

Yuugi recognized it the moment he peeked over his shoulder, and he grinned on sight, swiveling around in his desk chair to ask, “Lunar?”

Atem tossed a smile right back at him, looking his way just long enough to catch eyes before refocusing on the television– stopping the character just before it hit an ice wall. “Eternal Blue.”

“I haven’t seen that in forever. That has to be an old save file, right? Where in the storyline is that?”

“No idea. It’s wherever you left off last. But I’m not starting from the top with that labyrinth. The battles are too simple for the first– what? Five hours?”

“Well, aren’t we impatient?”

“Killing time,” Atem corrected, smirking as he flicked another glance Yuugi’s way. “Aren’t you supposed to be doing homework?”

Yuugi stuck out his tongue. “You don’t know about that, remember? I finished it all downstairs.”

 _“Ha ha,_ of course you did.”

“Oh, _shush,”_ Yuugi said, feigning irritation as a laugh bubbled in his chest– a laugh that he struggled to keep quiet. Whatever his honest mirth, he really _didn’t_ want to be overheard. If Mama found out that Yuugi hadn’t finish his readings downstairs, when she told them to get ready for bed? Then–

“Yuugi-kun?”

He jerked, then slammed himself backwards, his chair hitting his desk with a loud _thump_ as he twisted and threw an elbow over his work book. _“Ah–_ yeah, Mama?”

She must not have seen. If she had, she would have certainly glared and started lecturing.

Instead she just narrowed her eyes at him, his sudden movements clearly catching her attention and suspicion… but with nothing obvious to hone in on, she swerved her frown from Yuugi to Atem, shifting between them both. “It’s getting late. Aren’t you going to bed?”

“As soon as I finish this battle and save.” Atem’s answered earned a hesitant look from Mama for the unfamiliar terms, but she didn’t ask. And Yuugi could hear a smile in his other self’s voice as he promised, _“Aibou_ is waiting up for me, but I won’t be long.”

Mama hummed thoughtfully, eying the futon already laid out beneath Atem’s lounging form, the pajamas both boys were wearing, and the light, lingering sheen to their hair. She had instructed them downstairs to bath and wrap things up for the night, and they had listened, as she could clearly see… “Well, make sure you go to sleep as soon as you’re done,” she settled on, splitting her pointed gaze between both boys again. “In the meantime, _Otou-san_ is already asleep, and I am turning in. So, keep it down, okay?”

“Yes, Mama. Night.”

“Good night, boys.”

“Night,” Atem echoed, already looking at the screen again as Yui walked away… a grin slowly growing on his face.

He must have been watching Yuugi out of the corner of his eye. Seen him smiling at him.

“Thanks, _mou hitori no boku.”_

“For what? I didn’t do anything.”

 _“Uh-huh.”_ Yuugi shook his head, turning back to his desk… and stalled. Looked back over his shoulder.

At his other self, content and focused on his game.

At the bedroom door beyond him, left ajar… open to a now silent hall, and a tucked-in household.

…Yuugi closed his book, crossed the room, and shut the door.

When he turned around, Atem was looking at him.

The question in his eyes was soft, and passing, but Yuugi imagined there was some held breath behind that gaze. And he smiled for it, sliding back across the room… to Atem’s side.

He didn’t answer the look, or even speak until he was settled on the floor, leaning back against his bed– beside Atem. Only then did he speak, his skin prickling in odd, shivery patches all along his bare arm, where it was just a breath from Atem’s own. “Is this cool?”

There was no question in Atem’s gaze, or confusion. Just an intrigue. A fascination, shot with warm welcome as he grinned. “Of course.”

–Yuugi beamed back.

Even before he was aware of it, his mouth was aching with the stretch, and he bit his lip to suppress it down to a proper smile… managing it only when he shifted his attention to the television and relaxed into the simplicity of sitting there, beside his other self, as Atem started playing again… the muted game leaving them in a soft, comfortable silence.

He didn’t have anything in particular to say, after all. He just wanted to be with Atem.

Like, last night.

After they got home from their date yesterday, they hadn’t had much time alone together. They were sucked into watching television with the family, and by the time the show ended and they slipped away from _Jii-chan’s_ chatter and Mama’s checking questions, it was time to prep for bed.

But, just like now, there _had_ been a little window of opportunity after their baths, and before Mama inevitably grew suspicious that they were pulling an all nighter, and started poking her head in.

The two had spent that time pouring over that book they bought. And for both to see it, they had laid on their stomachs on Atem’s futon… huddling side by side over the pages.

So close that their arms and shoulders were pressed together.

And in the moment, it had prompted no more than the occasional look, when one stopped reading and moved to turn the page– only to catch the other staring.

They’d smiled, shared a pleased, little look, then returned to the book… but Yuugi had wanted to do– more. Press back, or grab Atem’s hand, or keep looking at him, or– _something._

But the door had been open the whole time, and Yuugi’s face burned when he imagined shutting it– openly putting himself behind a close door with his other self, Atem watching him do it, and the given of _why_ he did it.

It was so silly, looking back, but he’d just– hesitated.

He wouldn’t chance that hesitance tonight.

And… yet, he felt no particular pull to do anything right then.

He just wanted to be with Atem. Even if they didn’t say anything, or do anything? After a long day of good company, but no privacy, he wanted to be alone with his other self. To enjoy him, alone.

He didn’t need words for that.

…So, it was Atem who spoke up first, the question so unexpected that Yuugi missed it.

He blinked the blur of the television out of his eyes and looked beside him, at his other self’s still-turned profile. “What did you say?”

“I said, why were you upset earlier?” Atem’s manner was as relaxed as before, but when he paused the game and looked at him, his gaze was sharp, searching Yuugi’s earnestly for an answer.

And Yuugi honestly didn’t know what to tell him.

He just stared at him, trying to remember… “When?”

“Downstairs, when _Jii-chan_ and I were talking about Nagase. You looked upset. It’s been bothering me.”

 _“…Oh.”_ It took Yuugi a second to remember. He had honestly forgotten the whole thing.

But, recalling it now? He frowned all over again.

And Atem did too, seeing that. But before he could ask, Yuugi focused back on him and voiced the concern that had hit him, scattered by his mother’s calls and forgotten. “I just didn’t get why you’d toss aside the chance to make a new friend. Did you actually not like Nagase-san or something?”

Apparently, this was a much lighter concern than Atem had expected. His black anxiety cleared with a blink, and after a long moment of just gaping at him– “No, she was fine. A bit gloomy, but nice to talk to. Open to whatever I presented to her.”

“Right. You said she liked games. Even Duel Monsters. So, why not make friends?” Of course, Atem had given his own answer downstairs, and as he looked ready to repeat it then, frowning into the welling words, Yuugi interrupted with a rushed, “I know you won’t be here much longer.”

Everything went still.

The two stared at each other like they expected something to crack.

The floor beneath them, for example.

But, it didn’t. And slowly, Yuugi relaxed into the lull, smiling a small, tentative, allowing smile. “But, that just makes chances like that even more important, doesn’t it?”

…

A… _chuckle_ gradually fell from Atem’s lips, and he was grinning as he set aside the controller, shifting to face Yuugi that little bit more. “You’re right, of course. And if the opportunity really came up, I’d be happy to talk to her more. Make a friend. I just don’t want to reserve time for that. Prioritize that over other things. Because it’s _more_ important to me right now to help in the shop. Help the family, and make time for our friends. The ones we have now, and– _you.”_  There was such a natural ease to Atem’s justification. And, though the motion was cautious, careful with the new meaning behind a more familiar gesture, there was no _doubt_ there when Atem reached for his hand. He didn’t even look down as their fingers met, and Yuugi couldn’t, either. Not when he was caught in his other self’s smile. “Today with everyone was great, but my time with you is precious, too. And I don’t want to give it up for anything. Not a single second.”

Yuugi… couldn’t answer for a bit.

His throat had closed up, caught around a ball of feeling he struggled to swallow.  

But when he did, he did so with a smile, nodding wordlessly until he could manage a quiet, “Okay.” Because, he… he still wished Atem would explore that possibility for a new bond. Was sure that he’d be happier for it. But, Yuugi couldn’t fight that reasoning. Couldn’t… do anything except squeeze that hand, and marvel that he was even sitting there, _hearing that._

It was too much.

It was _too good._

And when Atem smiled back at him like that, Yuugi couldn’t help it. Didn’t _want_ to stop himself– and didn’t need to.

He kissed him.

As simple as that.

And Atem? He met him halfway.

Or… or was that really it? Had Atem not… had he actually _started_ the kiss? It– it had almost been like he had moved _first._ Did Yuugi have it backwards? Had Yuugi read his intentions in his eyes, and responded to _him_ by moving?

…It didn’t matter.

Whoever started it, they kissed. Lingered. Drifted through a kiss that was a half-dozen soft, still shifts of contact, one layered over the other, until Yuugi’s head was left full with an awareness of _Atem._

Right there.

So close.

Breathing the same air so thoroughly, so _easily,_ they might as well have the same lungs.

 _Still_ have the same lungs.

…Until it… finally… folded to a close.

It was Atem who slid back first, hovering so close that his breath warmed Yuugi’s lips as he sighed, bone deep satisfaction in that silent sound.

Yuugi grinned for it as he opened his eyes, and he saw the same sweet sentiment _he_ felt tangled up in Atem’s reverent gaze.

And his chest burned, in the best of ways.

…Yuugi squeezed his fingers, shifting their loose grip into a proper clutch as he murmured, still lingering in Atem’s air, “I don’t want to go to bed yet.”

And they hadn’t even been speaking of that. But, battles in Lunar took minutes at most. If Atem focused on the game again, kept his word to Mama, they’d be going to bed within moments… and bed meant getting up.

Letting go.

Yuugi really didn’t expect Atem to be the voice of reason, or to insist on practicality. But a part of him still _soared_ when Atem beamed in reply. “Me neither.”

“You… want to keep playing, then?” For a few minutes? An hour? The rest of the night, until the alarm went off and they stumbled off to school and work, and on through the rest of the week?

Atem nodded, practically _glowing_ as he returned Yuugi’s tight grip. _“Sure.”_

And Yuugi had to have the stupidest grin on his face, but he couldn’t tear his eyes off of Atem’s smile as his other self looked away, towards the television, and– “Are you happy?”

Atem stalled. Looked back at him, clearly taken aback at the question. And Yuugi really couldn’t say why he’d asked it in the first place… but he didn’t take it back. He wanted to know.

He _really_ wanted to know.

Even if it seemed pretty obvious.

Even if Atem _smiled_ at him like it was obvious, a laugh clear in his voice. _”Aibou,_ it’s unbelievable how happy I am. So much so, I wonder sometimes if this isn’t all some kind of mistake.” And he honestly sounded _amazed_ as he considered it… but, where Atem’s tones were light? Yuugi had stayed silent, struck dumb by a sudden, unexpected _pang_ in his chest.

Hadn’t… hadn’t Atem said something like that before, too?

Yuugi couldn’t quite recall. The details just weren’t there in his head. But, either way? The idea of that? That his other self would call it a _mistake?_ That… it made it sound like simply being _happy_ was _wrong_ to Atem somehow.

_Why?_

…Things had gone quiet.

When Yuugi looked past his own shock, he saw Atem, staring at him, stiff as a rod, confusion and alarm shining in his eyes.

 _What did I say?_ those eyes asked.

…Yuugi breathed out, forcing himself to relax. He smiled reassurance, clutching Atem’s hand again and rolling his thumb over his knuckles until his other self was blinking dazed wonder at him, prompting affection to color the firm insistence in Yuugi’s voice. _“Mou hitori no boku?_ This? _All_ this? It’s yours. _Ours._ So, don’t dismiss that as a fluke, okay?”

…

…

Atem… he…

Yuugi had never seen him cry.

He had no idea what that would even look like. Hoped he would never have a reason to find out.

But… even though Atem… wasn’t moving? Wasn’t doing anything, save looking at him?

Yuugi was pretty sure, that _this_ was close.

Was certain of it when Atem struggled to swallow, and grimaced with the effort.

His fingers shook, just a little, and Yuugi squeezed them, smiling into Atem’s eyes… until they melted.

Until he nodded, finally breathing… bowing his head to stare at their hands.

And the odd peace that had struck Yuugi rippled as Atem _lifted_ their hands, drawing Yuugi’s close to his face, bending over it, and–

He–

Was he going to _kiss_ it?!

Yuugi’s brain shorted out at the very idea, left him blinking, thinking _that…_ wouldn’t be horrible.

 _Weird…_ but, not horrible.

But, Atem didn’t. He didn’t kiss him. He just kept his hand close, breathing over it for a while, before finally lowering it… clutching it to his own knee as he lifted his head, and looked at him.

Yuugi stared back, caught in the overwhelming deference and _regret_ in his other self’s eyes. “Of course not,” he was saying, voice quiet, but even. “I never could. But, I’m sorry for letting doubt… for making you think…” The brief glimmer of serenity in his face staticed out, clearly marred by his uncharacteristic, _frustrating_ lack of words.

Before he could fall face first into that frustration, Yuugi laughed, drawing surprised red eyes to his. “No, it’s fine. _Really, mou hitori no boku._ I wasn’t upset. I’m just… I’m happy you’re happy,” he settled on, sobering as he said it… squeezing Atem’s knee as he murmured, “I’m happy, too.”

Atem… stared at him again… the pieces that had silently scattered coming back together in his eyes, forming an adoration that practically _radiated_ from him, and– and Yuugi… could only watch. Let go of Atem’s knee as his other self shifted to kneel.

To face him.

To lean forward.

Yuugi only had time to turn towards him before Atem’s hand reached out, catching the back of his neck as their lips met.

That grip was all that kept Yuugi from falling right out of that kiss. Not from shock, or protest– but sheer sensation. The emotion in those eyes, right before they shut, melded into the kiss itself, the fervent, stumbling contact stealing Yuugi’s breath and leaving him gripping the edge of the bed, his other hand grappling blindly for the one keeping Atem upright– to grasp it. Clutch his wrist as Atem worked to somehow translate his feelings into their kiss, the effort rough, and _insistent,_ and still achingly, _achingly_ sweet.

Yuugi melted into it, his body collapsing into jelly, leaning hard into Atem’s grip and barely staying upright as he… met Atem. Matched him slow, pressing kiss, for pressing kiss. Each one catching, _messy,_ tripping into the next before the last had ended.

They still didn’t know what the hell they were doing. Neither of them.

…But they… had to be getting better.

Because, every time, Yuugi had to grapple a little harder… to remember how to think.

To remember himself.

And when he did, between breathless gasps that made them stall for air… he was starkly aware that he was breathing into Atem’s open mouth. And he could feel _his_ breath on _his_ tongue, and–  

Realization burned Yuugi, and he opened his eyes as a fire lit across his cheeks, thumped hot in his chest, sizzled through his bones as he slid back, choking out a breathless, “Atem?”

Atem… opened his eyes… the unseeing, watchful sheen in those dark orbs making something in Yuugi drop hard to the floor, and he nearly forgot himself all over again… until his other self shifted. Moved back to sit where he had been, just a moment ago… the only contact left between them Yuugi’s hand, still holding that wrist.

He shifted that grip to Atem’s hand and held on blindly… his cheeks burning all the more as he recollected himself, straining to catch his breath.

Why… did he have the feeling that he had been _that close_ to making a fool of himself… _somehow?_

It was an abstract, but fervent impression, and Yuugi could only toss it aside and focus on his other self… on the strange, unanchored look on Atem’s face.

He had the distinct look of a man wondering if he _shouldn’t_ have done something… without a lick of regret or apology for it.

He… just looked thunderstruck.

The sight left Yuugi dizzy.

It took a pointed squeeze of his hand to get Atem look at him properly, and when he did? That uncertain, breathless wonder was shared _between_ them… until Yuugi finally managed a smile, grappling for the pieces of himself enough to ask, “Lunar?”

His voice was still embarrassingly strained.

If he noticed, Atem didn’t react. He just _hummed,_ turning to face the game as though he had forgotten it, or what he had intended with it… like he still couldn’t see it… but then, he shook his head _hard,_ and shifted– facing the television and picking up the controller.

Only to stall and stare at his hand, still caught in Yuugi’s.

The glance should have prompted Yuugi to let go, but Atem’s gaze was so _torn._ Like he couldn’t decide if it was honestly worth it to pull away.

Yuugi laughed.

 _Had_ to laugh, and the release was an odd relief, returning a sense of self to him he hadn’t known he had lost. And there was nothing hesitant about the motion when Yuugi worked his hand free from Atem’s grasp– and moved it back to his knee.

Atem followed the motion, and _beamed_ as soon as he caught on, shooting Yuugi a warm, grateful smile– only to knock his hand off by shifting to his knees. Yuugi’s hand hovered uncertainly in the air as he frowned, following Atem’s movements as he… what _was_ he doing?

He had turned away. Was pulling the Puzzle’s chain up over his head.

He sat the golden Item aside, on his pillow, then shifted back into his original position… sliding a hand behind Yuugi’s back, and tugging on his shoulder.

It was a simple gesture, and Atem’s intentions were clear at a glance. But still Yuugi stared at him, struck by the wordless suggestion… until his other self’s questioning smile assured him that he understood the gesture correctly.

Yuugi tentatively mirrored the look, then shifted– to lean back against Atem.

When he settled, their legs were still stretched out side by side, but Atem’s chest was supporting Yuugi’s back and shoulder, _his_ shoulder cushioning Yuugi’s head as Atem reached around his body to hold the controller, resting it against Yuugi’s stomach so that he could play.

He was virtually hugging him from behind.

The position was comfortable, easy, but _astonishingly warm,_ and Yuugi’s pulse kept catching in the stillness as they settled in… Atem’s belated mumble of “Is this alright?” tickling down his neck and back in a way that made Yuugi want to squirm.

So he did, smiling as he fidgeted into a better position against his other self’s chest. “Yeah, this is good.”

Atem hummed again, then unpaused the game.

And with no movement save for the controller, nothing said, it was easy to relax into the contact. Enjoy it without consideration, and Yuugi… found he had room to just revel in it.

To grow comfortable.

To explore.

He listened to the breaths running passed his ear. Felt the shift of the chest against his back. Let one hand rest on Atem’s wrist, feeling the movements of his other self’s thumb as he played… and there were no words for it. How peaceful and warm it all was, being that unconcernedly close to his other self, and… “You missed a chest back there.”

“Oh?”

“Yup. There’s an Endurance Ring over to the left.”

“Thanks. You really have this cave memorized, don’t you, _aibou?”_

“I would think you would, too, given I played this back before I solved the Puzzle. But, then again, you weren’t the one who lost to that dragon like twenty times from pushing through under-leveled, were you? So maybe it just didn’t stick as much with you.”

“I _did_ have to level up quite a bit to continue tonight. I kept dying at first. It was pretty boring, though not labyrinth-levels boring… Wasn’t that why you stopped playing this in the first place?”

“I don’t remember.”

Atem laughed at the evasive reply– then stopped.

The character on the screen stopped moving, Atem’s hands stopped moving, and Yuugi just _grinned,_ not looking back, a sweet satisfaction warming his nerves.

His hovering hand had found Atem’s knee again, and clasped it… thumb grazing the side through the fabric of his sleeping pants.

Not grasping.

_Caressing._

But, he stopped, waiting without a single drop of anxiety in his heart for Atem’s reaction.

He wouldn’t continue if Atem wanted him to stop, but he was confident that he didn’t need to…

And indeed, Atem soon unpaused. Kept playing, not a comment made… the leg under Yuugi’s hand shifting, _just a little,_ into his palm.

Yuugi grinned, scratching lightly at the inside of Atem’s knee before shifting back to simple, grazing touches… zoning out on the freedom of that contact… until, sometime later, his face split into another grin as Atem moved towards the last area of the dungeon. “Are you going to fight the boss without healing?”

Atem’s hands stilled, then he paused the game properly, assessing the screen for his party’s current HP and MP… huffing to himself as he saw the red numbers Yuugi himself had already been aware. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“No? You must be getting tired if you missed that.”

“Hn.”

“…” Yuugi wasn’t sure what it was. Maybe it was just intuition, or maybe he was just _that_ familiar with Atem, and could read more in his silences than he even knew.

Either way, he frowned, his mouth a flat line as he turned his head. Not enough to _see_ Atem, but– “Is your head hurting again?”

“A little, yeah.”

…And for him to admit it, that likely meant a _lot._

And Yuugi… wasn’t sure what to do about it. If it were himself, or anyone else, he would suggest a rest. Maybe a check-up, if it was as chronic as Atem’s headaches were.

But… that was it. It was just headaches, after all. Nothing a couple of pills couldn’t fix.

But, as he suggested just that, asked, “Do you need to some painkillers?” it was with a dissatisfied heart. That might be the normal fix, sure, but what even _was_ normal with Atem?

Yuugi didn’t know. Not with _this._ And he hated that glaring unfamiliarity.

Atem seemed at ease, though, his voice tired but relaxed. “Probably not. It usually goes away when I sleep.” And for a breath, Yuugi thought that was a call for rest. But when Atem shifted his controller? He held it up for _Yuugi_ to take. “You want to play?”

Yuugi’s frown cleared with a blink. “Me? …Now?”

“I’m not up to a boss fight, clearly. But I’d like to watch, if you’re up to it.” Atem leaned up into his back as he spoke, and the last, coaxing challenge came right behind his ear, the grin audible within it shooting a charged, restless feeling straight up Yuugi’s spine. “Let me enjoy it vicariously.”

–How the hell did he do that?

Yuugi didn’t know… and he shook the question and his worry both out of his head for the time being. He couldn’t do anything about his concerns now, after all. Didn’t even know if he _should_ be concerned… and he didn’t want to ruin the moment.

So, he shrugged. “Alright.” He took the controller and skimmed through the game inventory, looking for the item that would take them back to a healing point… and stopped.

His mind blanked out in a wave of warmth as Atem’s arms shifted around his chest, pulling him close. His palms came to rest against Yuugi’s ribs, fingers playing lightly along one side… drumming softly along the bone…

Yuugi couldn’t see his face, but he felt it. Felt contentment in every light, soft tap.

And he was stuck. Floating… _flushed…_ listless beneath that touch… until Atem anchored him back down by resting his cheek on his head. _“Aibou?”_

That murmur tickled through his hair and burst across Yuugi’s senses, and he _grinned,_ sharing an unseen smile with his other self. “Nothing.”

They didn’t say anything else.

Yuugi played. Scrolled through the item inventory, found the Dragon’s Wings, and activated them– leaning back into Atem as the character teleported out of the cave.

Arms gathered him closer, and the screen changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Music:** [Only Love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWlKZ6C7cDY&t=0s&index=28&list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z)
> 
> **[twitter](https://twitter.com/Phoebeus14) :: [tumblr blog](http://bitterseaproduction.tumblr.com/) :: [music](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z) :: [ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/phoebeus)**


	17. Mon-Tues, June 29-30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big ol' thanks to the lovely [KatNocta](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatNocta/pseuds/KatNocta) for making sense of the noise this originally was!
> 
>  **Music:** [Song without a name](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sas87qoYcfE&list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z&index=29) by dai

“Were you two up  _ all _ night?” 

“No.” Yuugi rubbed beneath his eye in a self-conscious manner before turning a page in his school book, keeping his gaze pinned on his notes. “We were up late, but definitely not all night.”

“The sun wasn’t up when we went to sleep,” Atem agreed, squinting sleepily at the television without looking down at the three gathered around the family room table. 

Yuugi, Jounouchi, and Honda were all there, homework spread out across the tabletop so that they could see one another’s work, while Atem lounged on the sofa behind them, watching a rerun of yesterday’s Go tournament broadcast– muted so that he didn’t disturb the group’s studies.

Not that they were that focused on homework.

“Still, you both look more like you want a nap than to hang out,” Honda went on, grinning bemusedly at both of his bleary-eyed friends.

Neither answered.

Yuugi yawned, and Atem shrugged, still without looking down.

_ “Ehhhhh–  _ come on!” Jounouchi huffed, tossing his own pencil across the room and planting his cheek right in his book. “Can we just call it quits already? We all know that we’re gonna need Anzu and Bakura to explain these formulas before we get anywhere.” 

“Neither of them can come over, though. Today or tomorrow.” Yuugi frowned at the back of Jounouchi’s head, a faint despair shining in his own eyes. “And this is due on Wednesday.”

“Then can’t we just ask them at lunch tomorrow? And fill out this stuff  _ tomorrow _ night?”

“W-well–”

“No way, man,” Honda protested, cutting in on Yuugi’s stumbling reply to glare at Jounouchi. “I have to watch my nephew after school, and hell if I’m going to be the only one staying up all night to finish this before it’s due.”

“But it’s  _ hopeless!” _ Jounouchi cried out, the volume making Honda and Yuugi grimace– and Atem flinch.

He finally turned away from his show, arching a brow at the three. “Can’t you just call one of them tonight and ask?”

… 

The three… slowly turned from Atem… back to each other.

“That might work.” Honda stared at his notes, sizing them up like he was trying to measure the amount of work left by sight alone. “We’d at least get more done that way than stumbling through on our own.”

“Thanks,  _ mou hitori no boku!” _ Yuugi grinned gratefully up at Atem, the pharaoh’s haggard expression softening into a smile as he looked at his partner. “We would have probably never stopped to think of that without you.”

“It’s nothing. You still have to wait to call if you’re going to do that, right?”

“Yeah. Bakura-kun is in the middle of some painting project, and Anzu is at dance class. That’s fine for me, but–” Yuugi turned back to his friends, frowning uncertainly at them both. “Don’t you both have to get home?” 

“I don’t have to be back for a few hours.” Honda shrugged. “I can wait.”

“Me too, but, you think Anzu would go over all of this with us over the phone?” Jounouchi glowered down at his book, doubt painting his face. “Wouldn’t it be better to call Bakura?”

“But I know when Anzu-chan will be home, versus Bakura-kun. He might stay up all night for all I know– he does that sometimes when it comes to his figurines, right? And he might not hear the phone in his game room… But don’t worry!” Yuugi grinned, remaining bright and assuring even as Jounouchi groaned and flopped back down against the table. “I really think Anzu-chan will help.”

“Well, fine then. But you better make the call, Yuugi. She’d just lecture me.”

“Oh, she does that to all of us,” Honda claimed, grinning. “We just know better than to argue back when we’re asking for help.”

“Oh, shut up! …Wait, does that mean we’re done for now?” Jounouchi lifted himself up off the table, eyes wide and hopeful as he looked between his friends. “She’s not going home for a while, right? So we can goof off until then?”

“Yup! It’ll probably be a three or four hours,” Yuugi confirmed, laughing as Jounouchi let out a loud  _ whoop _ and pumped his arms. “You want to do something until we call her?” 

“Hell, yeah! Let’s pack as much fun as we can into the next few hours, you know?! I want to do something  _ fun!” _

“Oh, yeah?” Honda hummed, leaning his elbows on the table and rolling his eyes like he already knew the answer, and found it predictable. “Like what, exactly?”

“Like a game, duh! Hey, Atem,” Jounouchi shifted on the floor to grin up at the pharaoh, earning an intrigued glance in return. “You’ve been sitting there watching that match all evening now. You want to mix things up with a duel?”

“That’d be fun, Jounouchi,” Atem answered, smiling– but Yuugi started frowning and looking over his shoulder at his other self, even  _ before  _ Atem added, “But, maybe later. I’m tired.”

…

Jounouchi… and Honda stared, uncertain what to say.

And Atem sobered under the joint shock, shrugging with a defensive ambiguity on his face. “It wouldn’t be a good challenge right now.”

_ “Right…”  _ Jounouchi hesitated to take his attention off of him, but he eventually turned his attention to his best friend. “What about you, Yuugi?”

Yuugi dragged his own anxious eyes off of his other self, belatedly shrugging a strained smile at Jounouchi. “Sorry, I have to pass, too. I’d love to, but my deck is… well, I’m in the middle of something.”

“Huh? Middle of something?”

“What might that be,  _ aibou?” _

Yuugi started to answer Jounouchi, only to jump a little at Atem’s voice, coming right behind his ear. He twisted around enough to look behind him, and froze.

Atem had slid off of the couch and was crouching  _ right behind _ Yuugi. 

And when Yuugi twisted around, those curious eyes were  _ mere inches _ from his.

–He went red, pushing against Atem’s shoulder when he had the gall to _smirk._ _“You know!”_

Atem went down laughing, pulling himself upright again by the sofa’s edge to grin at their friends, Yuugi looking away with a flushed grumble.  _ “Aibou  _ has been changing up his deck with some cards we got Saturday. He won’t even let  _ me  _ see what he’s up to.”

_ “Oh,  _ so you got new cards? Nice! Then I definitely want to see it later!” Jounouchi approved, grinning– while across from him, unnoticed, Honda stared at the pair with an uncertain gaze. “Alright, fine then. We can just play something else. You got any new four-player games around, Yuugi?”

“Nothing new…” Yuugi mumbled, sliding back into an easy smile as he focused on his friend, face cooling to its normal hue. “But you can go through my stuff and pick something out, if you want.” 

“Sweet!” Jounouchi hopped to his feet with a grin, dragging Yuugi up after him when he didn’t move fast enough for his liking. “You guys clean up our homework and get some drinks while Yuugi shows me the goods!” 

“Who died and made you the boss?!” Honda yelled after them, but Jounouchi already had Yuugi out the door… and he huffed wearily, grimacing back at Atem. “Not much point protesting there.”

Atem hummed quietly in answer… then pushed himself to his feet, yawning into his wrist as he stood. “Wait here. I can get the drinks.”

“Nah, I’d be just as bad as him if I did that,” Honda sighed, getting up and trailing Atem out into the hall… prodding his back with a light, “You  _ know  _ they’re gonna pick Catan again, right?”

“Probably.”

“And you don’t have a problem with that?”

–Atem stalled, just in the doorway of the kitchen, and turned… staring at Honda like he had just suggested they serve human flesh for a snack. “You don’t  _ like _ Catan?” 

Honda stared back… then snorted, rolling his eyes with a faint grin. “Right. You’re just as bad as them… or, is it worse?”

Atem frowned, his gaze asking if he should be insulted… before he simply turned, making his way to the fridge.

Honda trailed him with a faint laugh… then fell silent, lingering awkwardly a few steps into the room. “Hey, Atem? Is Yuugi’s mom or grandpa around anywhere?” 

Atem ticked a glance Honda’s way, then opened the fridge, rifling through various packaged foods and leftovers in search of something to drink. “No. She’s gone to visit a friend, and  _ Jii-chan  _ is still in the shop. Why?” 

“Well, I just didn’t want to ask if they could hear, but I haven’t had a chance  _ to  _ ask yet, so…” Honda shifted closer and leaned an elbow on the refrigerator door, frowning down into his friend’s thick spikes. “Is everything cool?”

Atem paused, leaning back enough to meet Honda’s stare straight on, and arch a brow at him.

Honda responded with a grimace, breaking away from that silent, bemused gaze to look off across the kitchen. “I mean, obviously things are  _ good _ now.  _ Everybody  _ can see that.” 

The shuffle of food resumed, and when Honda dared to peek at Atem out of the corner of his eye? He saw that  _ he  _ was focused back on the fridge, tearing through the plastic of a fresh pack of drinks to get to the bottles… a slight smile on his face as he worked a few free.

…And it was impossible to stay tense in the face of that faint, indirect joy.

A portion of the tension seeped out of Honda’s bones, and it was a steadier guy who stared down at his friend’s profile. “But, you never said anything, and Yuugi’s been real cryptic about what’s going on, so… I didn’t know if I should ask. You  _ or–” _

He didn’t finish the statement. Just waited until Atem looked at him, and gestured towards the door.

After Yuugi.

Atem followed the gesture and– stared, his expression a mask of thoughtfulness before he moved on, putting a couple bottles on the nearby counter and leaning back into the fridge.  _ “Aibou  _ doesn’t want to worry everyone by bringing it up. To see them worried for him.” 

Atem said it so naturally, so easily, that Honda didn’t really think about it. He just frowned at his bent back, half-talking to himself. “Because it’s  _ you _ two, or because you’re going to Egypt, or… wait.” He stopped.

Froze.

Gaped down at Atem as he turned his head, and stared blankly back up at him. “Then… you two  _ are…” _

He didn’t finish. Didn’t need to. Atem knew what he meant, after all.

It was  _ Honda  _ who needed time to process the meaning. Because, no matter how much he had suspected it already, the confirmation that  _ it was true…  _ That Atem and Yuugi had  _ acted _ on it somehow, and actually  _ were…  _

He couldn’t quite wrap his head around it.

At the least, though, he must not have shown any  _ bad  _ reactions in his shock. He doubted Atem would grin at him like that if he had– like he was amused by Honda’s belated achievement of noticing the obvious. 

Atem straightened up, keeping one bottle for himself as he pressed another into Honda’s numb hand. “Both, I think.” 

Honda… nodded… unscrewing the cap and chugging down a few, chilled gulps as Atem turned and picked up the other bottles. The pause gave Honda the room to try and recover, and he did– frowning at the kitchen counter as he struggled to process it all.

He had been right. 

There  _ had  _ been something there.

And Yuugi and Atem had… done something about it. 

They just hadn’t said anything.

…When Honda noticed the silence, he looked up. Found Atem staring back at him from the doorway, not a note of opinion to his gaze.

He was just waiting. 

So, Honda swallowed, and forced himself to speak. To move forward. “Should I not tell him I, you know,  _ know?” _ If Yuugi was, understandably, reluctant to bring it up, would it upset him to know it wasn’t such a secret after all?

But, no. Atem shook his head. “I already told him. I couldn’t keep something like that from him. Not without a good reason.” 

“…Oh.” –Couldn’t fault him there. If it were Honda, he would have done the exact same thing. 

But still, that knowledge didn’t stop him from grimacing, at a loss of what to do. If he knew, and Yuugi and Atem  _ knew _ he knew, but Yuugi didn’t want to discuss the ramifications of the whole thing… then,  _ what…  _ And, even with Atem alone, what should Honda do? Congratulate him? Ignore it? Say he’d be there if he needed him? Admit that he might have seen this coming, but that didn’t stop him from worrying about the both of them, and what would come of this? That he couldn’t see  _ any  _ of this ending well? Even if… no matter what came at the end of next month, they were both likely in for a lot of heartbreak… and Honda couldn’t change that.

And no matter what, he wanted to say what a  _ friend  _ should… but, he didn’t know what that was. 

It all felt wrong. 

“–Honda?”

“Huh?” Honda jerked his head up, aware only in the moment that he had let it droop.

And when he focused back on his friend? He found him smiling. “I can’t say if it was good or bad that you ever said anything to me,” Atem said, the perfect ease in his voice and face taking Honda by surprise. “Maybe things would be simpler if you hadn’t… or, maybe it was inevitable. But either way, right now? I’m grateful.” 

Honda– gawked for a good three seconds at those words, and the quiet intensity behind them… then shook his head, screwing the bottle cap back on with another, embarrassed grimace. “Yeah, well,  _ good. _ I mean, I hope it doesn’t end up  _ bad, _ but… thanks. That’ll help me sleep better at night.”

Atem shook his head, lingering in the door when Honda moved to leave, leaving the two of them face-to-face. “Don’t lose sleep over us, Honda. We’re happy.” 

He said it so simply, without a hint of force or weight, that Honda could only stare… the undeniability there, and the  _ we _ -ness of it all leaving him speechless.

But, he at least managed to blurt out a sharp,  _ “Good,” _ before Atem turned to go, earning him a few seconds more of a mutual, uncertain stare… and then a grin, wide and surprisingly  _ relieved, _ rose to the living pharaoh’s face. 

The support, weak and subtle as it was, had taken Atem aback. 

He hadn’t expected it.

And knowing that cemented the resolve in Honda’s heart, and he grinned right back– tilting his chin towards at the living room. “Let’s get these drinks in there before those guys come back down and start playing without us.” 

Atem laughed, his usual, characteristic smirk flashing just before he turned for the door. “They wouldn’t do that… though, they  _ might  _ plan out where to place their first settlements together, to get an advantage over us.” 

“Oh, like  _ hell.”  _

* * *

“Does  _ nobody _ have some sheep they’re willing to trade?”

“They’re called wool, man.”

“That’s not what’s pictured on this card.”

“Oh yeah? Well, I might be willing to give up a  _ sheep _ if you can give me three  _ logs.” _

“Nobody’s getting logs! You know that! If we were rolling fours, we’d  _ all _ have logs!”

“I wouldn’t,” Yuugi cut in, prompting Jounouchi and Honda to stop glaring at each other across the table, their mutual fire fading as they met their smaller friend’s grin.

“But you’ve got that harbor, Yuugi. You can turn in your herds of sheep anytime to get all the wood you want,” Jounouchi countered, grinning– and earning another snort from Honda.

“So, they’re called  _ wood  _ now?”

“Logs. Whatever.”

“It’s lumber, actually.”

_ “Whatever,” _ Jounouchi repeated, tossing another glower at Honda– before grinning back at his best friend. “And speaking of herds, you got any sheep to spare?”

Yuugi shrugged, smiling apologetically. “Sorry, Jounouchi-kun. I traded most of them in for some brick, and used the last one I had on that settlement.” 

…Jounouchi narrowed his eyes, weighing Yuugi critically for a long moment. “That so?”

Yuugi grinned, not saying a word… 

_ “…Heh,  _ well, fine. What about you, Atem? …Atem?” Jounouchi’s amused tones wavered as he focused on the last of the quartet, and took in the sight of his friend… and the harsh glower stamped on his face.

It was gone in a blink when Atem caught up to the call and noticed their attention, but there was no missing the cool frost film behind his eyes when he looked up from his cards, and to Jounouchi. “Sorry, the rolls haven’t been giving me much lumber either.”

Simple enough. Nothing odd there.

They all kept staring.

–Atem’s mouth slowly flattened into a hard line, and he turned back to his cards. 

_ “…Kay…  _ You…  _ alright  _ there?”

“I’m fine, Jounouchi.” 

_ “Are _ you? You look like you’re pissed at us, Atem. Or at something, at least.”

“I’m  _ not mad, _ Honda.” 

“Then what is it?” The last question was quiet, more worry than demand, but there was still an insistence beneath it that tugged Atem’s gaze back up, to his partner. Yuugi mirrored his frown near perfectly, though his gaze sought where Atem’s denied. “What’s wrong?”

…They were both exhausted. Both knew that already. They’d been fighting back yawns and fogged minds all evening.

But, as that truth bled back into the surface of Atem’s expression? It still seemed alarmingly much… especially when he breathed out, shoulders sagging, and looked back to his cards… defeat in his voice as he said, “It’s fine,  _ aibou.” _

That wasn’t a denial of something being wrong.

It was an acceptance of it.

And they all heard it. Were all disturbed for it.

Jounouchi practically  _ glared _ in his alarm, starting into another sharp, “Atem…” but a hand caught on his arm and stalled him.

He turned to Yuugi, and saw him shake his head, just the slightest bit.

_ No. _

And Jounouchi would have protested, gone on anyways, but Yuugi turned a moment later and  _ stared _ at his other self, troubled calculation flashing in his eyes. 

That look that stalled the words on Jounouchi’s tongue, and when Yuugi spoke up, asked, “Did you still want to trade something, Jounouchi-kun?” he just nodded.

“Yeah… I’d take some wheat if anyone has it.”

“Would you give up some stone for it?”

“Sure, Yuugi.” 

And the game rolled on, no one saying much of anything for the next hour or so.

Then it was over. Jounouchi smirked through his victory call, Honda scoffed at the mechanic of development cards, and Yuugi smiled and suggested that his other self go back to his broadcast while the rest of them called Anzu about their homework.

Atem just shrugged, taking back his abandoned seat to watch the end of the Go match… his body sagging into the sofa the moment his partner and friends moved to the other side of the room, and out of sight.

With no one’s eyes on him, he let his own fall shut.

Relaxed.

Just for a moment… 

_ “Mou hitori no boku?” _

He opened his eyes, and stared.

Time had passed.

He knew it even before he registered the shift in the light, or the blanket over his lap… his  _ shoulders…  _ he wasn’t sitting up anymore. He was lying on the couch, his legs stretched out along its length, even though he had no memory of pulling them up.

And his partner was there, sitting on the seat edge, shaking his shoulder… smiling at him.

There was worry in his eyes.

_ That _ more than anything shot adrenaline through Atem’s veins, and he jerked upright, clutching the sofa back for balance– a glint of gold catching his eye as he looked about for their friends and alerting him to the Puzzle, set out on the table, just within reach. “Where are Jounouchi and Honda?” 

“Gone.” A hand supported his back, and Atem relaxed back into it as he focused back on Yuugi, and his smile. “It’s almost nine. We wrapped up our homework a while ago, and you missed dinner… Mama set aside some leftovers for you before she went upstairs. And  _ Jii-chan _ should be done with his bath, if you want one.”

Atem shook his head, frowning through the offers as he shifted backwards, out of Yuugi’s touch, pushing the blanket aside and bending his legs to turn and put his feet on the ground. “Why didn’t you wake me sooner?” 

“You needed sleep. And, if you’re not going to eat or bathe, you should go  _ back _ to sleep– here, or upstairs. Wherever you’re more comfortable.”

That wasn’t even  _ worth  _ a reply. 

But, before Atem could give one anyways? Insist that  _ of course _ he wanted to be upstairs, near his partner? Yuugi stared at him point-blank, mouth and eyes set with steel. “But first, I want to know what’s going on.” 

–Atem grimaced, and looked to the rumpled blanket. 

He had expected it. He had  _ seen  _ everyone’s concern earlier, caught how his partner stalled Jounouchi’s interrogation. 

Yuugi wouldn’t have done that unless he planned to do something himself.

Knowledge didn’t provide easy replies, though, and Atem wouldn’t go so far as to insult his partner with a weak front or cheap lies. 

So he just frowned, until Yuugi went on himself. “This isn’t just because we stayed up late last night. Something’s bothering you, and it’s physical.  _ Painful.” _

_ “Aibou…” _

“Even though I saw you take a couple painkillers before our game, you’re still hurting.” Atem couldn’t keep his eyes averted. His partner’s voice dragged his eyes back to him as thoroughly as though Yuugi had reached out and forced his chin up. Atem turned back– and was caught by searching, alarmed eyes, that he couldn’t look away from. “It’s your head again.”

It wasn’t a question, and Atem didn’t answer it. Deny it. 

He could only insist that, “It’s better now.”

“–Better?” 

“Yes.”

Yuugi narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing him… but Atem trusted his partner’s perception, and Yuugi’s own trust in him. His partner would believe him, because it was the truth. His head  _ did  _ feel better.

That didn’t mean the strained ache was  _ gone, _ though. And Yuugi frowned like he knew it. “But, it  _ was  _ hurting you today, and a lot more than usual.”

Atem shook his head, slowly mirroring his dissatisfaction. “That’s only natural. We’re both tired.” 

“If it were just that, we would be in the same boat. But I’m fine.”

“We just reacted in different–” 

_ “Mou hitori no boku.” _ A tight silence fell, both frowning. But there was no heat to their stares, and no anger. Just a fretting frustration… and even that was quick to ebb away into nothing. First with Yuugi, his expression softening and opening as he quietly insisted–  _ confessed, _ “It’s worrying me.”

And then Atem, the tension deflating out of his shoulders, leaving him loose and resigned as he muttered, “What would you have me do?” the words falling out numb, aware that he couldn’t satisfy the most likely appeal.

“Go to a doctor.”

_ Of course. _

“And say what?” Atem shook his head, a ghost of his former frown resurfacing. “It’s just headaches, and manageable ones at that. There’s not much to look for.”

But Yuugi wasn’t just going to accept that, and he grimaced his frustration instantly. “You can’t be sure of that. We can’t know  _ what  _ it is, and a doctor might see something you don’t. And– how do you  _ know _ it’s not a big deal? What if the headaches get worse?”

“If they do, we can deal with them then.”

“But, where’s the line? Are we supposed to wait until you’re throwing up? Or bedridden? Or  _ passing out?” _

“I don’t see any of that happening,” Atem smiled through Yuugi’s frown, seeking to soothe the panic beneath his partner’s words. “They usually go away on their own, and they don’t bother me that often.”

And Yuugi’s quiet distress  _ did _ slowly start to fade… but not into a proper calm. A grim focus took its place, and Atem’s own smile died as Yuugi asked, “When?”

“What?” 

_ “When _ do they bother you?”

_ “Aibou–”  _

_ “Please.” _

The two stared at one another, the moment dragging out between desperation and hesitance. 

Between frown and frown.

… 

Atem breathed out, letting his gaze stray as he resigned, and– “Evenings, mostly. Or at night.” Mostly around the time of day his partner would always be around to witness them. Rarely when he was alone.

_ Of course. _

“Every night?” 

Atem shook his head, the simple, accepting inquiry drawing him back to Yuugi’s gaze. “No, just most. But, sometimes it hits earlier, and it can even fade away before bed. Like Friday? I couldn’t sleep the night before, and it was bad all day, but after you…” He… smiled. Honed his words for their partial privacy, whatever his gaze might say. “After you left, it was better. By the time I finished my shift in the shop and went to bed, it was gone.” 

“–That sounds like it was just stress, then. And a lack of sleep.” And Yuugi smiled right back at him, the same memory in his eyes… but it didn’t linger. He sobered. Quietly,  _ insistently _ added, “But, you had a bad headache last night, too. Even when we were relaxing, and having fun all day. And you slept fine the night before, right?”

“That’s right,” Atem confirmed, his own expression fogging over as he tried to guess where Yuugi was taking this. 

But, perhaps he didn’t know, either. Yuugi certainly didn’t look like he  _ planned _ to say, “And during our date, at the–” since he caught himself halfway through, snapping his mouth shut as he eyed the doorway to the hall.

Atem followed his gaze, but no one appeared… and after a few seconds, he focused back on his partner. “Only after when we went to the bookstore.”

Yuugi’s shoulders were sagging with relief as he turned back, but there was still a frown on his face as he thought aloud, with Atem. “Right… You were fine up until then, but then your head suddenly started hurting.” –He blinked, a thought visibly crossing his mind and clearing his expression. “And at Bakura-kun’s. You were fine during that paintball game, and at dinner afterwards, right? You didn’t show any signs  _ that _ day, at least… It wasn’t until the next day, after that weird horror movie, that you started looking bad.”

Atem nodded, gaze and thoughts slow as he scrutinized his partner’s expression…“That’s right. I got a headache while we were watching the movie.” 

Yuugi… didn’t reply, though he certainly heard. And Atem wasn’t sure what he was thinking, but a strange  _ something  _ had sparked in his partner’s eye, only to catch fire and spread at his answer. And it remained there, burning a bright, shocking,  _ shocked _ light as Yuugi stared into the shot off television… and Atem watched him, waiting, until it was clear that he would never speak on his own.

So he asked, “What is it?” 

Yuugi turned toward him instantly, but kept staring at some point beyond him. At a memory. “Last night… Did you have a headache  _ before _ we went upstairs? Before you started playing Lunar?”

“…Yes, it started while I was playing Mahjong.” Atem frowned as his partner did, confused by the odd, silent frustration that struck Yuugi’s expression with the answer, as though that wasn’t what he had been looking for… and yet, even  _ more  _ confusingly, that frustration cleared back into shock the instant Atem added, “But, it  _ did  _ get a lot worse after we went upstairs.” 

Yuugi gave a blind nod, staring wide-eyed at nothing as he mumbled, “And we’d been at the theater, before that bookstore on Friday…”

So, they were back on their date again?

Atem grimaced around an urge to say such out loud, not wanting to disturb whatever it was that was running through his partner’s head and causing that strange, torn mix of uncertainty and disbelief to dawn across his face… he waited until the expression seemed to solidify, and mark a stilling of his thoughts, to mutter an insistent, checking,  _ “Aibou?” _

Yuugi tore his eyes off of the dead television to stare at him instead, mumbling along like he hadn’t been silent for a good minute or so. “And, just now, today… You were watching…” 

“The Go match, yes,” Atem filled in, shooting a quick look at the black screen before focusing on Yuugi once more. “What are you getting at,  _ aibou?” _

Yuugi… didn’t answer… he just turned back to the television… and got up. 

Moved to the television and turned it on, switching the channel about until he landed on a news station– turning the volume all the way down as soon as he found it. 

And Atem watched it all with a frown, confusion making his brow furrow even more when Yuugi reclaimed his seat and looked at him– waving at the screen. “What’s that?” 

… 

Atem turned back to the television, narrowing his eyes in search of whatever it was his partner could be getting at… “A news station.”

“Yeah? And what’re they talking about?”

“…Something about a bill being argued in the Diet.” 

“Yup. And what’s the bill?”

Atem shut his eyes and  _ breathed in, _ seeking patience… and quickly finding it. If Yuugi was doing this, there had to be a point to this exercise. Atem trusted that. 

So, he relaxed, opening his eyes to consider the television seriously… focusing in on the thin line of text scrolling by on the bottom of the screen. “It looks like something… about defense expendi–”

Atem fell back against the seat with a thump.

The urge to cough hit him in an instant and welled up in his throat, and it was moment before he connected it to the pressure on his chest– the hand holding him in place.

Atem turned a shocked, askance glare on his partner.

Yuugi stared right back at him, shock painted across his face. “…It’s your eyes.”

…?

Atem just… stared, slowly mirroring his partner’s shock as the silence bled on, no sense following in the wake of the words. Yuugi just repeated himself, quiet and breathless as his hand dragged down, catching on Atem’s knee and squeezing it, as though he needed the anchor. “Your eyes… You  _ squinted.” _

…Atem shook his head, a frown slowly forming as his mind still failed to comprehend, “What?” 

“You were  _ squinting. _ At the television.” 

What… what was he saying? That couldn’t be it, he–  _ “Aibou, _ I can read just fine–”

“Maybe you can,” Yuugi cut in, his paralysis suddenly splitting in two as he focused  _ completely _ on Atem, caught him in his stare as he rushed on. “But you  _ definitely  _ strained to do it. Frowned, narrowed your eyes, and  _ squinted, _ and leaned forward in your seat… I pushed you back because you  _ leaned forward.” _

…Atem hadn’t even noticed. 

But, now that Yuugi said it? He…   

… 

They… stared at each other, Atem glowering through the impossibility of what it all meant, Yuugi’s mouth slightly ajar as he gawked through his own surprise… his own rising certainty. “All those headaches after we watched something, or read for a while… It’s not your head. It’s your  _ eyes.” _

Atem shook his head against the repeat… but a hand still went up to his face. Touched his cheekbone, just below his left eye.

Could it… be true? He hadn’t  _ noticed _ any struggle to read… True, his head did hurt a lot when he poured over a book too long, or watched something on television. And there was that time the other day, when he was reading the text on some new Duel Monster Cards… and he’d never run into that sort of pain  _ before, _ when he shared a body with Yuugi… 

But…  _ but…  _ that  _ couldn’t  _ be because… wouldn’t he  _ know _ if he couldn’t… wouldn’t he  _ remember–  _

… 

A sour taste built up from nothing in the back of his throat as he thought,  _ Well… there is that, isn’t there?  _ How was he to guess what was, or wasn’t true, when it came to his own body, when it came down to it?

The undeniability of that set in his chest like hollow lead… and he looked up. Focused on his partner before it could infect his limbs and face and leave him nothing but an empty weight. “Alright.”

Yuugi blinked… then frowned.  _ “Alright?”  _

“You may be right, I mean.”

“Well,  _ yeah, _ but–” Yuugi floundered for some word, some retort, and fell flat into a glower as he settled on, “We need to  _ do  _ something, then.” 

“Like what?” Atem pushed a smiled onto his face, shaking his head gently.  _ ”Aibou,  _ if you’re right, then that’s  _ good. _ It’s just my eyes, then.”

“But we don’t know  _ why. _ And, what if I’m wrong? What if it’s something worse, or just a symptom of something?” Yuugi shook his own head far more vehemently, setting his mouth in a firmer line. “Either way, you need to have your eyes checked.”

“But I can read fine on my own,” Atem countered, falling into the simple ease of reassuring his partner, tossing aside the implications of his own musings in the bargain. “And I can even try avoiding staring at screens and reading for long periods, if you think that’s the problem. Then, if the headaches go away, we’ll know that you were right.”

“But–” Yuugi… was clearly struggling to argue, his eyes flashing awareness that Atem had a point. But he just couldn’t let go of the basic fact that, “If you are  _ straining _ yourself, a doctor might be able to help.” 

And Atem just watched, waited for Yuugi to calm a little in the brief quiet before asking, “What did you think it was before?”

…Yuugi’s frown crept into a silent question, breathless, and wary.

And Atem just kept on smiling. “You were really worried… and even now, fighting me on this? You seem calmer now than you were before. Before you decided it was my eyes… So, what did you think it was  _ before?” _

Yuugi– blanched a little, his expression opening up and lightening, even as he grimaced towards the table. “I don’t know… I guess I expected it to be magical somehow. A sign of…”

“Something worse?”

Yuugi nodded, and Atem hummed in acknowledgement, following his gaze to the table… to the Puzzle. It was certainly reasonable, expecting something like that. He himself had assumed… well, nothing, really. When he thought about the pain at all, he had always run headlong into a wall of  _ nothing…  _ not unlike the nothing he had known for so long, from the moment he started to comprehend that Yuugi’s memories, his identity wasn’t his own, and he’d turned around in search of something of himself… and found nothing. 

Just a weight where something that  _ should _ exist no longer was… a scent in the air, of incense that had burnt out long ago.

This pain was just like that.

… 

And, given that, perhaps he should have thought of this himself far sooner.

But, it didn’t matter. The theory was out there now, and fight it or not, Atem felt a truth to it in his gut– and resigned himself to it. Felt none of the restlessness that marked his partner’s own frown as he looked back at him. “And it still  _ could _ be, you know. We haven’t proven it  _ is _ just your eyes. Or that it’s natural. And even if is–”

“Kaiba still hasn’t finished my identification paperwork,” Atem interrupted, smiling through the self-defeat that he had had to point it out after all. “And we never asked him to handle insurance… If I went to the doctor’s office, what would I show them to get them to treat me?”

And, just as he feared, Yuugi’s determination buckled. Withered away, caught on that one, simple, mundane,  _ unassailable  _ fact.

Atem couldn’t even go to the doctor without questions. He wasn’t even an established  _ person, _ when it came down to it.

But, he had hoped it wouldn’t come to pointing that out. That he could put Yuugi’s mind to rest by reassurances alone.

He couldn’t.

…But, he still tried. Smiled, reaching out to squeeze the hand that had lingered, forgotten, on his knee. “It’s alright. I’m not in pain now, and I  _ will  _ try and avoid small text and staring at screens too long. If you’re right, that means you’ve helped me, just by figuring this out.” And helped Atem find out a startling, unexpected fact about himself in the bargain. 

And Yuugi’s expression unclouded, just a little– bringing a vital relief to Atem’s heart, even as his partner continued to frown unsatisfied. “Still… We don’t  _ know…” _

“Then we’ll test it.” He beamed at him, made Yuugi blink rapidly like he was looking at something too bright, and coaxed his partner’s hand up to hold it properly in his. “Then we’ll know more, and we can go from there… But for now, I’m hungry. Come with me while I warm up my food?”

Yuugi opened his mouth automatically, only to come up with nothing… closing it again with a faint, resigned frown… that slid into a soft sigh as he nodded– squeezing his fingers back in a soft pulse. “Okay… I might steal some of your rice, though.” 

“If that’s the price of your company, I accept,” Atem teased, the slow drain of tension from the room and the space between them leaving him free to smile properly– and he dared a glance to the door before shifting close, ghosting an assuring, and  _ self- _ assuring kiss across his partner’s lips before standing. “Come on,  _ aibou.” _

Yuugi kept staring at where he had just been sitting, his nose and cheeks visibly flushing, his free hand shifting halfway up to his mouth– before a tug on his other one coaxed him to his feet. “Y-yeah, okay.” 

A soft, short laugh from Atem brought his partner back into focus, and Yuugi huffed once in would-be irritation before rubbing self-consciously at a cheek and moving double time to keep up with him– to not lose the hand that kept hold of his.

And Atem fell purposely headlong into the peace of it, asking Yuugi what his mother made for dinner, and sweeping the lingering topic from his own mind. It might not be fully closed, even for the night, but it was at least as settled as he could hope it to be.

Perhaps, if he assured his partner properly, remained vigilant about what he did and looked at, and took what pills he had to, he could avoid this becoming a true issue again.

* * *

“Tanaka-sensei has an opening at one today.”

Atem stalled, his morning tea hovering right at his mouth as he looked across the table at Yui.

She didn’t look up, still focused on adding food to her plate. “It was last minute, but we got lucky and there was a cancellation. If we don’t take that appointment, we will likely have to wait until next Thursday.”

“…Tanaka-sensei,” Atem echoed… his eyes slowly swerving towards his partner.

Yuugi didn’t look at him either. He remained focused on his miso soup, and said nothing as  _ Yui _ answered. “Yes, the family eye doctor. You know that, right?”

“I am aware who he is.” Atem put down his tea, frowning. “I take it  _ aibou _ spoke to you.”

“Yes, he said your eyes have been bothering you, and that it’s been giving you headaches.”

“I see.” Atem’s fingers strummed against the wood of kitchen table, and he flicked his gaze sideways once more– to lock with Yuugi’s. His partner was finally looking at him, a hard, flat edge to his face. A face prepared for battle. Atem met him straight on, staring right back at  _ him _ as he asked Yui, “Did he also mention that I have no identification or insurance to show at the doctor’s office?”

“Oh, I know the receptionist,” Yui assured, sounding completely undisturbed by the silent exchange of the pair sitting across from her. “We can probably slip by if I claim I forgot it and will bring it by later– then you can send in a copy when you get your things.” 

“But I still won’t have insurance.”

“That’s fine. We’ll just pay out-of-pocket.”

…?! 

Atem turned away from Yuugi’s persistent stare to properly face– no,  _ gawk _ at the mother he had been speaking to. Because, she couldn’t mean– 

But, no. Yui just peered back at him curiously. Expectantly.

…Atem shook his head, shock stealing any control from his snap. “You can’t do that! It’s too expensive!” 

–Yui frowned, her eyes taking on a steel to rival her son’s hard gaze. “Healthcare is a non-negotiable, Atem-kun. If you think I will condone you ignoring something like that just because it costs money–”

_ “But I am not–”  _

_ “Come on,” _ cut in the thus far silent fourth party, and while he grit his teeth, Atem looked obligingly to Sugoroku. The man seemed utterly untouched by the tension at the table, sipping a bit of his soup before smiling back at him. “If you’re grateful, there’s no need for yelling or demuring. Just say thank you.”

Atem’s jaw unclenched to snap open– only to twist as he grappled for words, grinding his teeth into another frown as he glowered in frustration. “I  _ am _ grateful. But, that doesn’t change the fact that this is unnecessary.” And finally, he looked back to the one who had certainly started all of this. He glowered over his shoulder at his partner. “I am  _ fine.” _

And Yuugi– his mouth flattened out a little tighter, and he pushed his own bowl aside to twist in his seat and face him head on, the resolve in his eyes all the harder. “I know you think that. And, maybe you’re  _ right. _ But, until a doctor agrees, we won’t know for sure, and we’ll just keep worrying.”

_He_ would keep worrying.

That’s what his eyes said beneath that insistent gleam, shining clear as day no matter how he frowned at him. 

And it was  _ that _ that stole the frustrated heat from Atem’s head, and left him with nothing… nothing but an empty hand and no words. All he could do was look at him…  _ them. _ At his unbending partner, at Sugoroku’s understanding,  _ knowing _ smile, and finally at Yui, with her quiet, expectant eyes.

…It was she who found something to say first, swiping Atem’s cup from across the table and refilling it from the pot as she spoke. “Make sure that you come in from the shop early enough to eat your lunch. We will be leaving by noon.”

Atem grimaced at the cup as Yui slid back into his reach… picking it up with a quiet, “Thank you…” that lingered in the air as he sipped… the kitchen silent until Sugoroku spoke up.

“Yui-chan, did you end up buying that vacuum you were looking at?”

“…Oh. No, I didn’t. They were out of stock by the time I went back, and it’s just not worth it off sale. Maybe if I check another store for the same model–” 

…Something tapped his foot. 

And it was obvious what it was, what it had to be, but Atem’s eyes were still uncertain as he peered to his side, over the rim of his cup.

Yuugi was looking at him, his head ducked and his chopsticks in hand, but his eyes on  _ him, _ mouth still set in a hard line, but gaze watchful, _ checking…  _ pulling him in.

As always.

And no true words hung in that gaze, but Atem still responded. Still softened… And he had no idea what showed on his face, felt no uncontrolled twitch, but he  _ did _ see the lines of tension fade from Yuugi’s brow, as though he had seen something… long before Atem took one hand from his tea, and edged his plate towards him.

Offered what was on it.

Violet eyes flicked to the plate– and Yuugi grinned, relief flashing across his face before the emotion muted. He accepted the offering with only a faint echo of that happiness, but it had been there, and Atem’s own mouth twitched and curled as Yuugi replaced the cut fish with a half-eaten scrambled egg from his own plate.

They didn’t look to each other again, though, and by the time Atem took up his own chopsticks, a frown was back on his face… but, it was uneasiness that prompted the expression then, not frustration. And that emotion set a little more easily in Atem’s gut, left him free to eat without trouble… and to distantly appreciate the toe that tapped against his ankle again, even as he could dredge up no greater response than a light tap back.

“Atem-kun?”

Atem stalled, then forced down a bite a bit too big to swallow smoothly, focusing on Yui the moment his mouth was clear. “Yes?”

The severity in the Mutou mother’s eyes died away at his reply, the complete lack of fight in his reply apparently easing her back into simple practicality. She simply nodded, looking down at her soup as she ordered, “Change your clothes before you head to the shop, or at least before you leave. I will not present you to the doctor in leather and cuffs.”

“Yes, ma’am.”  

* * *

Atem knew this office.

His partner had had few reasons to visit an  _ eye doctor  _ in his life, beyond a basic check-up here and there, but the Mutous had been going to Tanaka-sensei as far back as Atem –  _ Yuugi –  _ could remember. And so, there was no fear of the unknown in Atem’s bones as he followed Yui into the familiar lobby. Just a grim distaste, heavy and leaden and possibly showing through the flat front of his expression as they approached the receptionist desk, and the older lady sitting behind it. 

He evaded the uncertainty in her gaze by eying the magazines on a side table as Yui caught her attention and asked something about her grandkids.

…He could swear that issue had been there three years ago… 

He didn’t move to check, though, simply letting his mind wander, float in the resignation of simply getting  _ through  _ this… in the wariness of what might come of it. An abstract protest to it all just wouldn’t stop climbing up his spine, and it left his back and shoulders tense with a tension he could easily explain, and yet– 

“Atem-kun?”

He blinked up again, found Yui eying him as she nodded to the nearby door… the receptionist behind the deck getting up to presumably open it and let them in. “Tanaka-sensei’s last appointment ended early, so they can see us now.”

“–Alright.” He slid past her, ignoring the way her frown followed him, and remained pinned to the back of his head as they left the room.

She was worried, he knew that much… but even if he wanted to soothe her concerns, he had nothing to say.

The best he could do was stay silent as they settled into the examination room, Yui taking a seat near the window as Atem sat in the exam chair indicated by the receptionist… his eyes naturally falling on the large letter chart on the other side of the room.

He narrowed his eyes at it, skimming the lines that grew smaller and smaller… and huffed, letting his head fall back against the headrest.

This was going to be tedious.

He only had seconds to mull over the suspicion, though, before someone knocked and the familiar, aging doctor walked into the room with a smile– the uncertainty within his gaze as he looked to  _ him _ doing nothing for Atem’s mood.

“Good afternoon, Mutou-san. So, this is your nephew?”

“Cousin of sorts, actually, but yes. This is Atem-kun.” 

“Of course, my apologies. It’s nice to meet you, Mutou Atem-kun.”

“Mhmm.”

_ “Atem-kun.” _

“–It’s nice to meet you,  _ sensei.” _

“Of course. So, I hear you are having some problems with your eyesight?”

“That is the theory, yes.”

“Well, why don’t we see if I can’t find some facts to go with that theory?”

“Mhmm.”

The rest of the exam passed with more of the same, benign niceties, mixed in with polite, expectant orders from the doctor. And Atem had to at least count his blessings that this was not a full medical exam. Even as the orders and tests made him fight back the urge to glower, there was little occasion for Tanaka to touch him throughout the proceedings. He always gestured or spoke to indicate what Atem needed to do, and warned him when he was about to push the phoropter up to his face, or shine a light in his eyes. Honestly, the only troubling, unfamiliar part about the whole exam was when Tanaka slid his stool back and asked Atem to prop his head in what he called a ‘slit lamp’ so that he could shine a different sort of light in his eye– one Atem could not ever recall experiencing through his partner’s memories.

There was nothing more or less odd about that test, but still, a faint frown was permanently stamped on the doctor’s face from that point on… and while he made no comment afterwards, and went on with more familiar examinations, his pleasant chatter with Yui died away into nothing more than simple requests and questions to Atem.

She noticed the shift just as Atem did, and by the time Tanaka pushed his charts aside and settled back in his seat to look at them, they were  _ all _ frowning… but the doctor remained strictly focused on Atem as he asked, “Motou-kun, have you ever had your eyes looked at before? Since these headaches started?”

Atem narrowed his eyes, searching the doctor’s gaze for some insight… before shaking his head. “No.” There was the impulse to add ‘not since they started hurting,’ but… he couldn’t name it. He could sense there was something off about the question. Even if it should be a given that any modern person would see an eye doctor at least once in their lives… 

“I see,” Tanaka said when the silence dragged on, tapping the back of his pen on a neighboring table before straightening again. “Did you go to any doctor at all?”

“…For what, exactly?” 

“I can’t say specifically myself, at least with these tests alone. But from the look of it, it must have been a fairly bad injury.” 

–Atem sat up in his chair, his hands clenching on his legs with the shock of, “What are you talking about?”

The doctor didn’t respond right away. Just looked at him in a rather baffled, critical way… then finally gestured towards Atem’s face.

The left side. 

“There is an old, severe retina scar there, on your left eye.”

Atem blinked… leaning back to stare blank-faced at the composed, certain man before him.

_ What? _

“I assume from an accident of some sort,” Tanaka was saying, not even pausing as Atem inwardly scrambled for sense of what was coming out of his mouth. “It seems to have caused you to develop an astigmatism and some slight myopia.” 

“I… didn’t know…” He had expected…  _ something. _ Something like what his partner had feared. That the doctor would find some sign of just how unnatural Atem actually was. That he would walk out of that office with no explanations at all, or a diagnosis that made no sense… for a proper, living person, at least.

But  _ this–  _

“No.” That frown was back on Tanaka’s face, and Atem could now read the concern behind the look– and the disapproval. “Which is rather odd. Even if you had been injured in some other way, and been distracted by the need to treat  _ those  _ wounds, your eye would have certainly been painful, as well. Visibly red and injured, and it’s likely that you would have struggled to see out of it at all for quite some time.” He shook his head, dropping his pen to lace his fingers together on his lap as he bent forward, closer to Atem. “From the looks of it, the injury must have become infected, and been left untreated… Do you know why?”

…Atem looked down at his own lap, too thrown to even bother with fronts or frowns as he searched his mind for… answers that would never come… shaking his head when he inevitably came up empty handed. “No.”

“I see…” The doctor sighed, sitting up a bit to turn his head towards Yui. “Mutou-san? Do you know anything, as his family member? Was Atem-kun injured somehow when he was too young to remember it?”

“…No…” Yui replied, and though he didn’t look up in her direction, Atem could hear it– the hesitance in her voice. “Our families were not close when he was younger.”

“That is unfortunate,” Tanaka answered, his stool shifting as he faced Atem again, speaking even as he failed to meet his eye. “And, if this  _ did  _ happen when you were young… you just said that you never visited a doctor afterwards. I would strongly advise that you to get a check-up more often in the future, Atem-kun. Any basic exam would have caught that scar.”

Atem grimaced, unclenching his hands only to dig his fingers into his kneecaps.

…Yui spoke when he failed to. “What can we do for him, Tanaka-sensei?”

“For the scar? Nothing, if you wish for my advice. You could attempt surgery, but it would be unnecessary and invasive. The effects on his eyes are certainly permanent at this point, so the best thing would be to get a basic prescription to correct his vision.”

“Is that something we could have done today?”

“Well, there is a retailer nearby we often work with for quick orders, but for a long-term prescription I would advise…”  

* * *

“You’re upset.”

It wasn’t a question, but when Atem dragged his eyes off of the glasses displays in front of them, he found that Yui was staring at him like she expected an answer anyway.

He didn’t give one, letting his gaze stray back to the wall of bright frame colors and fake lenses. 

They were sitting in the fast order eyeglasses shop Tanaka had suggested, having gone straight there after getting the prescription, paying the receptionist, and picking out the frames for the ‘long-term’ glasses Tanaka insisted Atem should get. Then it was only a few minutes to walk to the shop, and repeat the frame hunt all over again.

The staff member that had been trailing them about took the order and promised that it would be less than an hour to fill it– and Atem had disappeared into the store restroom as soon as Yui let him go.

He locked himself into the one-stall room, walked up to the smudged mirror over the sink… and stared at himself. 

Stepped up close until the Puzzle clinked against the porcelain, and tilted his head– back, then forward, then to the side… stalling as he caught something, and  _ leaned in further, _ the chain dragging painfully along the sink edge as he stared at what he had found.

A scar.

A soft, diagonal line beside his nose, below his left eye, so faint that he had never noticed it before. 

Never thought to  _ look _ for it before.

…And the way it was angled… Atem straightened his head, and strained to see –  _ something  _ – as he brushed his thumb backwards through his eyebrow.

His hunch proved right. 

There was a bald patch. A faint line of no hair, usually hidden by the way the hair fell.

…He brushed it back… settled back on his feet… and stared. Saw it firsthand as the flat veneer on his own face drained away.

He didn’t know what he was looking at. 

He knew the doctor was right, as far as he could know to guess the truth, and Atem had just… he  _ knew _ the doctor was right, somehow. On some level, he felt confident enough to confirm the truth of it.

His eye was scarred. It was part of an injury– an attack that had landed on his face. And the wounds had gotten infected. Pained him, and cost him a fraction of his sight.

He knew it. Felt that certainty in his gut, just as he had felt that certainty when he walked into that museum months ago, and seen his own face on that ancient slab. 

…And, just like then, that certainty came with a hole. A faint, empty distress, for once again not knowing something about himself. Something so  _ pivotal–  _ and in this case so  _ visceral _ and  _ right there _ as his own eyesight… An injury, staring him right in the face, now that he knew to see it.

What had _happened?_

He could see at a glance that the cause was a slash of some sort to the face, but he had no idea where it came from. How he acquired it. Nothing occurred to him at the sight but that same empty fullness in his gut… and he was left with nothing. 

Nothing but the awareness that he would never know the truth, save… by one means… 

The Puzzle pulsed against his gut. 

A bleak reassurance.

The same pulse hummed against his stomach as he stared at the glasses lining the walls near the customer chairs. As Yui asked, “You don’t know how you hurt your eye?” 

“I don’t know anything.” The words fell out of him before he was even conscious of it, and once they were loose, he couldn’t bring himself to retract them. To even regret them. To keep his eyes away when Yui hummed thoughtfully at him.

“About your life, you mean.” Her gaze wasn’t exactly…  _ sympathetic, _ but there was a patience there, and expectation that Atem found he could not dismiss. 

Even as he grit his teeth and faced forward again, he found himself nodding. “…Beyond the obvious.” He shut his eyes, breathed out the tension and the words in his heart. “I would have to recover my memories to know about this,” he waved blindly at his own face. “And near anything else.”

“…How do you know?” 

…Atem opened his eyes, merely to frown up at the woman staring at him. “What?”

“How do you know you’d know where you got that injury from if you got your memories back?” she elaborated, shutting the book that she had ostensibly been reading as they waited. “Tanaka-sensei couldn’t say how old it was. What if you got that injury when you were quite young? Even a baby?”

Unlikely, given the look of it… but he couldn’t be certain.

And the fact that he  _ couldn’t  _ be certain was why he was frowning in the first place. Why he kept frowning.

…And Yui merely hummed in the face of it, reopening her book back to the marked page, but– “Yuugi-kun has a mark, just by his left elbow.” 

–Shock blinked through Atem’s expression, left it blank and surprised as he impulsively reached for his own elbow, and– yes. There was nothing there, of  _ course, _ but Atem knew… there  _ was _ something on his partner’s own arm. A– “A small, round… a scar.” 

“That’s right.”

That was right… it was an odd mark. Certainly not a slash like on Atem’s own face, or a healed burn or even a puncture wound. But still, Atem frowned all over again and with _far_ more feeling at the thought that that old, familiar mark might have some story behind it. Something more memorable than a simple, forgettable stumble from childhood. No matter what had happened, his partner had been  _ hurt _ and even  _ he _ hadn’t known– “Did he have an accident when he was too young to remember it?” For  _ him _ to remember it?!

“No.” Yui looked up into his strained expression… and grinned, apparently  _ amused _ of all things. “He scratched it himself. It’s just a blister that scarred.” 

Atem stared… then relaxed, the answer coming to him all at once in a calming spark. “The chicken pox. From when he was two.” 

“That’s right.” Yui smiled faintly, then turned back to her book, finger skimming along lines she certainly wasn’t reading. “He was too young to remember, of course, but it happened. And that illness? He only knows about it at all because we told him about it when he was older.” Her eyes finally shifted to his again, openly checking to see if he was listening.

He was.

“He has no memory of it, but the fact that it happened remains, and it means that he’ll never get the pox again.” 

Atem… stared into her eyes, the simple words rolling around his head– to catch the light from every angle. To take every and full meaning from them. 

No memory of it… 

…Yui finally huffed, breaking their gaze to look down at her book again, emphasizing her words with a warm impatience. “You don’t always have to remember something for it to have meaning, Atem-kun.” 

Atem kept staring, just as before… but surprise slowly slid into thoughtfulness, and as he looked back to the glasses display, his expression was… relaxed. Not quite relieved, still rather uncertain… but untroubled.

And when Yui spoke up again, they didn’t look at each other– but a smile twitched across Atem’s face. “But, on the subject of the pox, we should find a doctor who will vaccinate you against anything they can think of. I assume you haven’t had any before, and it’s a wonder you haven’t died from the common cold yet.” 

“That isn’t necessary.” 

“What? Are you afraid of shots?” 

“Of course not. It would just be a waste.” 

“Ah.  _ Of course _ it would be… I’ll schedule something by the end of the week.” 

“…Thank you.” 

“Just doing what is necessary, Atem-kun.” 

“If you say so.”

* * *

“Welcome to Kame Game, how can– Ah. Yo,  _ aibou.” _

Yuugi grinned at the instant shift in tone, turning to shut the door behind him before properly facing the shop, and the sole occupant behind the counter. “Sorry I’m a little late. I got held up by Jounouchi-kun asking about… a game…” 

His voice trailed into nothing as he stalled, no more than three steps into the shop when he registered… Atem was…

He smiled, leaning forward with his elbows on the glass case. “Which game would that be?”

“The, uh…  _ Tigris & Euphrates, _ you know…” 

“Ah. The board game that came in to the shop last month? That caught your eye?”

“Right. I was thinking… maybe it was time to…  _ mou hitori no boku?” _

“Hmm?” Atem arched a brow, amusement dancing visibly across his face. 

But Yuugi was too thrown to take the bait, merely tapping the side of his face near his eyes to indicate– “You got… glasses?”

“Hmm? Oh, yes,” Atem started with would-be surprise, straightening his back and taking off the purple specs that had just been on his face, inspecting the soft-edged rectangle frames for himself before pushing them back up his nose. “These are just the quick order ones. Your mother insisted on paying for a good pair at the doctor’s. They should be coming in in a week or so.” 

And instantly Yuugi wondered what  _ those _ would be like, but he was too busy losing his voice to the sight of his other self in those frames to ask, any words he might have formed clogging in his throat at a single glance from Atem.

…Those glasses were bringing out the faint hint of purple in his other self’s own eyes… 

…That soft hue flashed as Atem smirked. “What do you think? Sophisticated, right?” 

The uncertainty beneath the tease undermined any hint of carelessness there might have been, but Yuugi grinned anyways, nodding a bit as he finally started forwards, his voice small. Wondrous. “Yeah. Looks…  _ good…” _ Foreign, and somehow off-kilter, kind of like that smiling turtle stamped on Atem’s chest, above his simple black tee. But still–  _ good,  _ in a way Yuugi couldn’t quite express. Because it wasn’t just that the glasses framed his eyes nicely, and brought of the rarely seen colors in his red eyes. They– they just… made him seem so… palpable. 

_ Real. _

Yuugi wanted to move around the counter and close the distance between them. Catch his bare arms. Feel the warmth of his skin. 

But he just flushed with the impulse, and stilled a few feet away as Atem laughed, fingering the edge of his glasses. “Heh heh… at least this explains why I kept losing so spectacularly in Tekken.” 

–Yuugi grinned, his back relaxing with the humor. “You  _ wish  _ that was why I kept beating you.” 

A grateful edge touched Atem’s smirk, gratitude warming the look. “Well, we’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?” 

_ “Uh-huh.  _ When’s your shift over?” 

“In ten minutes.” 

Yuugi nodded, letting his smile linger a little longer on Atem’s before moving for the house door. “I’ll get the game loaded.” 

“That anxious to lose,  _ aibou?” _

_ “Ha, _ you can taunt me all you like if you  _ win.” _

“Is that a promise?”

Yuugi stalled, his steps hiccuping as he darted his eyes to the right– to meet Atem’s, just as he was passing by the counter. 

His heart skipped at the hope and particular gleam in Atem’s eyes… then he swallowed, slid into a smirk of his own before walking on. “That goes for sweet talking, too.” 

_“Tease.”_

“Hypocrite.”

Atem’s chuckle followed him down the hall and into the house.

* * *

“You want to pick up where we left off with Lunar when I’m done with this?”

“Mmm…” Atem hummed, his eyes remaining on the cards he had spread out on the desk until he finally decided on a move, freeing him to consider his partner, sitting beside him with his cheek in hand, his elbow in a textbook propped open at the edge of the desk. The sight made Atem grin as he looked back down at the cards, making another move. “I was hoping for something a little more challenging tonight.”

“Yukon just not doing it for you?”

“This is just keeping me out of trouble until you’re done reading. And you’re always a better opponent than a random spread or computer.” 

“Guess that takes Wild Arms off the table, too… how about Tigris & Euphrates, then?”

“Weren’t you going to play that with Jounouchi?”

_ “Eh, _ I haven’t tried it out yet, and it’d be better if at least one of us had a grasp of the rules first… and it might be fun figuring them out with you.”

“I bet it would be.” 

“Yeah…” 

Atem grinned, but offered no further answer, letting the silence hang so that they could both focus on their own activities– so as to get to what they really wanted to do.

…But, after a few moments, he flicked his gaze back up.

Yuugi was still staring at him, an odd sort of… wonder, in his eyes. 

“…What?”

“It’s just–” Yuugi shook his head, folding both arms over his book as he frowned at him. “You… said earlier that you need glasses because you got hurt? At some point you can’t remember because… it was when you were a pharaoh?”

Atem blinked at him, faintly surprised to have the topic brought up again.

They had spoken a little about the whys of Atem’s new spectacles earlier, just after his shift, but the bulk of their attention had been pinned on Tekken, facing each other in heated match after heated match until a call for dinner left them at a three-to-three tie. Even at the table, where the matter would have logically come up between the family, Yui’s attention remained sharply pinned on Yuugi’s last big test before the end of semester midterms, coming up on Friday. Yuugi grimaced through the prods to study and slipped away from the meal as fast as he could, Atem quietly following him upstairs after confirming his work shifts the next day with Sugoroku. Between rushing to take baths and settling in for evening activities, there hadn’t been much time for sharing more than the simple facts… and with the simplicity of the answers he had to share? Atem had taken it for granted that the subject might be closed.

Apparently not. 

He put down the card he had been considering and folded his arms, relaxing back in the desk chair as he considered his partner. “That’s what I gathered, yes. It’s the only thing that makes sense with what the doctor said.”

“Right,” Yuugi huffed, sliding between a thoughtful frown and that same tentative wonder Atem saw before. “So… does that mean–” A touch of shyness grimaced across his features as he gestured vaguely towards him. “Does that mean you’re really,  _ really _ like… I mean, would Zorc have known that? About that injury?”

Atem stared, confused by the odd turn of the question, uncertain where… “No, probably not.” Granted,  _ Akhenaden _ might have, depending on what had caused the injury to begin with… and even thinking about the priest made Atem frown with the memory of that news report– of a mummy crushed along with so much else when the museum collapsed under that ‘monster’s’ wrath… but, the fact remained, even if he  _ had _ known of the injury somehow– “Why do you ask?”

“It’s just,” Yuugi shrugged, folding his hands together as he eyed him, as if looking for some reaction Atem didn’t know how to offer him. “I had thought you were like, just a blown up version of the figment Zorc created for that game, combined with your soul or something.” Atem’s brows shot up, a surreal sort of amusement striking him as his partner went on. “But, why would Zorc have bothered to include a detail like  _ that, _ even if he had known? It’s not like you’d remember to note the difference.” 

“No, I suppose not…” Zorc  _ had _ been using the Puzzle in the game, so it was possible that the injury had come from his own subconscious somehow, drawn from a memory still locked away in his heart somewhere, or from some innate awareness he couldn’t quite shake, like a muscle memory… or maybe it was just the nature of the magic Zorc used, to give him back his body as it truly had been back when he– 

“And, either way, if we go by that,” Yuugi was saying, tugging Atem’s attention back to him and those wary, hopeful violets. “Doesn’t it seem more likely… that this basically  _ is _ legit the body you had in life?”

Atem… didn’t reply. Just stared right back at him a while before unfolding his arms… setting his hands down on the desktop as he looked to the Puzzle, perched on the corner opposite his partner, watching them. Atem looked into the eye of the golden Item as he considered… wondered… was such a thing possible? He had been talking with Yuugi and Yui and everyone with the presumption that,  _ yes, _ even the physical reality of his past had followed him into the present, but… would fate… really do that?  _ Allow _ that? Give him back his body as it had been? 

…His people  _ did _ believe the flesh was necessary to pass on to the next life, which he was meant to do. That was  _ true. _ But, this… being back in his own flesh, even when he didn’t recall it? Breathing?  _ Alive _ for true, at least in… the flesh and blood sense?

It just… felt more like an anchor to the present, than a means to his future. 

His rest. 

…But, then… it wasn’t really  _ fate  _ that he was like this in the first place, was it? It was  _ Zorc, _ and his desperation… It was  _ fortune  _ Atem had to thank for this, not destiny. So… what did that mean? Was this fortune a means to his destiny, or a deviation from it? What… was he supposed to make of this… 

…He blinked. 

Looked down.

Focused in on the fingers that had tentatively swept across the knuckles of his left hand. 

He followed that hand up to Yuugi, and watched for a while as his partner stared… not at him, but at his hand. His eyes wide and wondering as he played delicately over the skin. The back of his fingers.

A catch over his pinky made Atem grin with the tickle, and he broke the spell. “What are you doing?”

Yuugi blinked up– and flushed, red spreading in an adorable wave all the way back to his ears as he froze, hand paralyzed over his. “I– well–” 

Atem laughed, turning his hand to catch those sneaky fingers and keep them from retreating. “It’s alright,  _ aibou. _ I’m just the same as this morning. Nothing’s changed.”

“I know that,” Yuugi huffed, but– the fascination in his gaze did not fade. It just solidified and grew, until it was all that Atem could see. Could focus on, as Yuugi focused on  _ him, _ awe rolling through his smile as he squeezed and shifted in the hand that held his… twisted in his seat and reached out for Atem with the hand still free and– 

Atem sucked in a breath and froze. Stared into the eyes that raked so warmly over his face as Yuugi– touched him. His thumb and fingertips running a soft, static tickle along his nose. Cheek. The line of his jaw and the shell of his ear– lingered there to gently pinch the stiff impression of the hole in the lobe before sliding back to his face. 

Yuugi seemed to settle, smiling in a contented way as he ran his knuckles over his cheek, but Atem just– couldn’t breathe… couldn’t stop staring, and trying to read the thoughts sparking behind his partner’s eyes.

Whatever the reasons… whatever the eventual goals… he was not living in some weak, conjured echo of what he once must have been. This copy – if it even  _ was _ a copy – felt… real. Was really,  _ really _ real… there… alive… 

…And, why not?

He didn’t know the full circumstances, but Atem was sure that it was magic that had killed him. A spell he had cast with the Puzzle himself, that stole the life from his still living body… so, why shouldn’t it be capable of giving back what it had once taken away so easily? Was it… so unprecedented… He might need to leave, but… for now, at least, he was still, in the truest sense, flesh and bone… 

Really, truly  _ there, _ in the present. 

In that room.

And the thought made his skin prickle. Made the taste of his own mouth fill his senses.

He had never… He had always felt somehow…  _ distant  _ from all about him. Yes, it was easy to forget that distance at times when he was in his partner’s flesh, or distracted by his presence. But, all this time, that had been, in the end, a distraction. Everything had felt so… borrowed. Taken from a soul that gave too much. That he took so much  _ from. _

_ Now… _ he was there. 

Undeniably  _ there. _

With Yuugi. 

Real, as  _ he _ was real. 

_ Right there. _

With him… 

And the thought made him consider that company… that shared proximity, in a whole new light. Made him conscious of that lingering contact in a whole new way, and made him– flush. He could feel it, the heat in his own face, warm against the slide of Yuugi’s fingers, and– 

“Hey… are you mad at me for pushing you to go? To the doctor’s?” 

Atem blinked. Came back to himself enough to realize that Yuugi was eying him warily. Expectantly. 

But no words would come to Atem’s tongue, and… he just acted. Filled the silence by reaching up for Yuugi’s elbow, and coaxing him closer. 

Yuugi met the pull with a surprised look, but it quickly melted as Atem leaned into the desk edge and close enough to reach his face. To press a kiss to his mouth– still, and slow, and barely moving at all… a soft, lingering contact that allowed Atem to  _ breathe _ him in. Process the simple sensation of lips against his. Of the smell of his skin. Of the hand that dropped down to Atem's shoulder, pressed into it, kept him anchored. Of a strained, quiet breath, so close that Atem could hear it.

He ran a thumb over Yuugi’s fingers, and he squeezed back.

His palm was warm.

…After a moment, he slid back, settling fully in his seat again.

He left his partner staring at him in a fogged daze, and that expression pulled the life back to Atem’s face. 

He grinned. “Yes, I am.” 

Yuugi blinked, confused… thrown… uncertain and shame-faced– until Atem chuckled, and put a lie to the reply. Then his partner glowered at him, that red resurfacing across his face as he caught on to the tease.

Atem half-expected to be pushed off, or huffed at, or to receive some other expression of impatience– but no. Yuugi must have read something of his true feelings beneath the taunt, because he soon softened into a warm look, and then a grin– keeping both as he scooted down the bed, away from the desk side.

Atem followed the movement with curious eyes, only for his breath to catch in unexpected delight when Yuugi stalled right beside him– and grabbed the front of his tee-shirt, easily using it and the hand still on his shoulder to swerve him around in his chair to face him. To look at him and his insistent smile. “Well, then you’re just going to have to forgive me.” 

–Atem beamed, pushing the chair forward as much as he could, their knees bumping as he coyly asked, “Is that so?”

Yuugi snorted, but… didn’t answer. His expression quickly caught and froze, his grip on Atem’s shirt shifting into an open hand… pressing firmly against his chest… 

They both went still… listening to the thump of his heart.

Atem… couldn’t process the feeling that spread through him. Warm, and wary, and curling about to fill every corner of him… he could only look up, and see the marvel in his partner’s eyes… watch as it slowly morphed into something sharp, and needy… 

When Yuugi followed the look with a lean, Atem moved. Tipped his head up to meet his kiss.

_ …Kisses…  _

The contact started as soft and simple as his own, earlier kiss, but it just… kept folding in on itself… slipped into another, and  _ another, _ lingering more, and more, and more… morphing into an occupation of awe and brushing noses and a hesitant happiness Atem had never known before, found in the unexpected lock of fogged eyes when they peeked at each other, only to lose themselves in the kiss again. Found in the venture of small, little attempts at  _ new. _ Experiments at angles, and pressures, and open lips catching… claiming… and all Atem could taste was fresh toothpaste, from their early prep to get ready for bed.

Yuugi must not have washed out his mouth enough. 

The taste invaded Atem’s senses, the warmth of Yuugi’s hand at his shoulder weighing on his focus, and– 

Yuugi sucked in a breath, jumped… and even though he kept their mouths locked together, Atem was suddenly conscious of it… his own hand… on Yuugi’s knee.  _ His thigh…  _

…He dismissed it. Pulsed his grip, and chased Yuugi’s mouth when he gasped in reaction.

And any sense that he should ebb away, or pull back, died as Yuugi recovered, only to press back– and more.

Atem’s heart thumped, and his back shuddered under the pressure of his posture as his hands flew up, catching both of his partner’s ribs as Yuugi leaned hard into his grip, relying on him to keep him upright as… as he… Atem opened his mouth to his partner’s silent request, and… and the warmth that had been thrumming through his chest bled hot.

And… there was no room for concerns there. No place for them… Atem wanted to focus on  _ this. _ On the slow, drowsy, intoxicating nature of what he had found… on what his partner was doing, and coaxing  _ him _ to match.

…He tasted toothpaste… and thought nothing. Relaxed into the lazy, stimulating joy of it… the joy of counting how many times he could make Yuugi gasp with a shift of his fingers, or his mouth. His tongue.

…He lost count… long before Yuugi finally shifted back a bit, to stare down at him… and jolted back with a start.

Atem stiffened in surprise, the feeling humming in every inch of his skin silencing as he asked– but he never spoke. Yuugi recovered long before he could form words, grinning shyly as he motioned. “Sorry. The– I forgot about them.” 

Atem blinked, and… his confusion slid quickly into amusement as Yuugi indicated his face, and.

Right.

“–So did I.” As Yuugi leaned back enough to support himself, Atem reached up and straightened his glasses, pushing them up his nose… before sliding the same hand up to coax Yuugi’s off of his shoulder. 

That was the only point of contact left between them, but there was no denying the closeness behind their shared grins as Atem kissed the side of his partner’s thumb. “–I distracted you.” 

Yuugi shrugged. “Don’t care.” 

Atem snorted, playing his fingers over that willing captive of a hand. “Still, you should get that reading done.”

Yuugi’s grin spread wider, his hand playing at tugging away, only to capture  _ his _ in turn. “What, so I don’t stay up late?” 

Atem smirked, allowing his hand to be pulled back to Yuugi’s knee as he shook his head. “No, so that I can demand your full attention until bed.” 

Yuugi coughed on a laugh, his shoulders catching with the humor. “You’ve got that either way!” 

“That so?”

Yuugi didn’t answer. Just– smiled at him, offering a wordless warmth that Atem was happy to share… and drag on, even as he squeezed Yuugi’s knee and broke the silence.

“You still promised me a game, you know.” 

Yuugi’s mouth stretched even wider, and he leaned forward, caught Atem by surprise as he grasped the back of his neck and drew him into another kiss– the quick, emphatic nature of it doing nothing to douse the euphoria that made Atem’s shoulders droop.

It was over in a breath, Yuugi coming up slower than he went in… clutching Atem’s shoulder as he straightened, smiling down at him. “I’d better read.”

“Right.”

“And then, Tigris & Euphrates?” 

“Mmm… I’d like that.”

“Haha– Good.” 

Soon they were settled back as they had been– Atem at the desk playing Yukon, Yuugi to the side leaning over his book… But, with the door shut against any likely surprises, the pair let that connection linger, their hands locked on the corner of the desk opposite the Puzzle, Yuugi’s palm resting in the cradle of Atem’s. 

A thumb played softly over the vein in Atem’s wrist, and he smiled, making no comment as he flipped another card. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Music:** [Made For You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrqOS00a9_0&index=30&list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z) by Alexander Cardinale
> 
> **[twitter](https://twitter.com/Phoebeus14) :: [tumblr blog](http://bitterseaproduction.tumblr.com/) :: [music](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z) :: [ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/phoebeus)**


	18. Wed-Fri, July 01-03

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The happiest birthday wishes to our favorite game king! It is Yuugi's birthday in the morning, and in celebration, have a chapter.
> 
>  **Music:** [A Town with an Ocean View](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Dbud7LoIKE&list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z&index=30) by Joe Hisaishi

“Do you really just want a few t-shirts and pants,  _ mou hitori no boku?” _

“We came into the wrong store if you want me to buy more leather and cuffs.”

“We could switch shops if you–”

“These are fine. The shirts are on sale, and I can buy five pairs of pants here for the price of one at that last place.”

“What’s that matter? You don’t have to just buy stuff from one store. Even if they were kind of expensive, I know you liked those boots you tried on… And besides, I’m the one paying today, remember?”

“That’s _ why  _ it matters,  _ aibou. _ I told you, you don’t need to pay for my things. I have enough money– and your shoes work just fine, as long as you’re still willing to share them. I just need enough clothes that your mother isn’t forced to wash your whole closet in two weeks.”

“I  _ want  _ to buy them. And you’ve spent so much on me lately, I know that’s why you’re watching the price tags. Let me return the favor if you’re short.” 

“That’s not–” 

“Hey guys, you done in here yet?” 

Atem’s frown and efforts to find a proper counterargument toppled into as he and his partner turned to see Jounouchi hovering in the shop’s doorway, just outside of the entrance, a double dip cone of green ice cream held up before him. It already had a big bite in its side, and he gave the gaping hole another reckless chomp before adding, “Bakura finished buying that stuff he wanted, and I’ve run out of coins.”

“Sorry, Jounouchi-kun,” Yuugi apologized, grinning at their friend as Atem added the last pair of pants he had been looking at to the hefty pile in his arms. “Are Honda-kun and Anzu-chan back from the supermarket?”

“Yeah, and Honda’s complaining that his bags are heavy.” Jounouchi snorted, pausing to lick at a bit of ice cream that had melted onto his hand, before it could drip down onto the floor. “Serves him right for buying so much food.”

“All the same, if he’s getting tired, we should get going,” Atem allowed, earning a soft frown from his partner.

“But you still haven’t tried on anything.”

“They have a return policy here. I can see if they fit back home and return any duds.” Atem shrugged, only to pause when Yuugi’s expression dropped subtly. 

_ What–  _

“You gonna just be a minute, then?”

“Yeah,” Yuugi replied, pasting on a smile as he turned back to Jounouchi– ignoring Atem’s curious scrutiny in the bargain. “We’ll pay for these and be right out.” 

“Cool, cool. I’ll get out of here before some staff notices me eating in the shop.” 

“Don’t jinx yourself,” Yuugi teased, grinning at his best friend’s retreating back until he disappeared into the crowd of the underground mall’s hallway… leaving him to turn and look right at his other self.

And his suspicious smirk.

_ “–What?” _

Atem shook his head at the hilarious grimace that crossed his partner’s face, shuffling his clothes about in his arms before turning and weaving his way deeper into the store, towards the cashier counter at the back. “Just wondering why you’re so disappointed I won’t try on anything here.”

It was like he could  _ hear _ his partner’s cheeks heat, given nothing more to go by than the catch in his step. 

“…Who says that’s why I’m upset? Or that I  _ am _ upset, for that matter?” 

“I think you just confirmed that yourself.” Atem tilted his head to look back as he tossed the warm jab, and indeed, Yuugi’s face was a touch pinker than was natural. But, rather than self-conscious or flustered, he looked…  _ hopeful. _ There was an oddly earnest, questioning light to his gaze that Atem had never seen a week ago, but was quickly becoming familiar with– falling in love with. He met it with an open softening of his own smirk, his tone fond as he joked,“If you want me to model for you that badly, I can try them on as soon as we get home.”

Rather than balk or burn at the assertion, Yuugi… grinned right back at him. “That a promise?”   

–Atem wasn’t aware he had stopped walking until  _ Yuugi _ stopped, stalling right before he ran into his back.  

Even then, Atem could barely register the fact around the slow awareness of… what he had already known, really. And yet, the blatant acknowledgement left his brain empty. Even as a grin curled across his face and he arched his brows inquiringly high, the breath caught in Atem’s throat drifted down through his chest and belly, catching an electric charge somewhere along the way and sending weak, delightful little shocks through his nerves as he asked a silent question of his partner. 

Yuugi answered with a duck of his head that wasn’t shy at all, the wry pull of his smile sending another spark through Atem’s gut as his partner shifted closer– and stole the clothes from his numb arms. “I can take care of these. You go ahead. I’ll meet you back with the others.”

“Aa…” Atem watched him sidestep around him without protest, the scratch of their covered shoulders bumping just prompting him to turn and watch Yuugi approach the counter… his fingers rubbing together with the abstract desire for contact as he mused in a blank silence.

He turned to go, no real thoughts in his head, fixated on the odd sensations in his own gut and heart, feeling no impulse to question or label. 

He only thought to frown when he was already out in the hallway, standing in a low traffic corner he and his friends had picked out as their meeting spot.

Yuugi was paying for his clothes.

“Something wrong, Atem-kun? You stopped mid-sentence.” 

Atem blinked back into focus and found Anzu frowning at him– her eyes catching on his face in a faintly dazed way making him impulsively push his glasses up his nose. “No, sorry. You said that you think we can all make it to Domino Park this weekend?” 

“That’s right.” Anzu smiled, face warm and pleased with the confirmation as she dodged Atem’s thoughtful gaze, focusing on opening a water bottle she snatched out of her own shopping bag. “Otogi-kun confirmed he would be free, too, so it’d be such a waste to miss the chance.”

“Yes,” Bakura agreed, smiling as he drew the group’s attention. “It feels like we haven’t seen you all week.”

“Close enough,” Atem agreed, frowning faintly, but adding nothing further. He knew well enough that it was difficult for most of his friends to make time to see him, and that they were doing so anyways for his sake. Because time was limited… and he didn’t get to see them as often as Yuugi.

Perhaps he should have found a way to enroll as a temporary transfer student, after all.

During the school week, the others had classes and lunches and walks to and from school to spend time together. But, unless it was the weekend and homework was shockingly light, or they studied together, many of them had obligations that kept them from hanging out in the evenings. 

Usually Honda and Jounouchi were the exception to that rule… but, even there? 

“Didn’t you say the other day that Otogi offered you a job?” Atem asked Jounouchi– earning a hard glower and a scoff in return.

“Don’t  _ remind  _ me,” he snapped, biting into his ice cream again– only to come up grimacing in pain a second later, clutching the side of his head.  _ “Aa, damnit.” _

“Brain freeze, Jounouchi-kun?”

A smile tugged through Atem’s frown as he turned his head and saw the approaching speaker. “I made him eat his ice cream too fast.”

“And how did you do that?” Yuugi asked as he joined them, keeping a checking attention on his best friend even as Atem slipped over to his side and plucked a few of the clothing bags from his hand.

A knuckle tapped his in the exchange, and Atem smiled, even as he turned to face their friends, and an amusedly snorting Honda.

“Jounouchi’s just mad because it turned out Otogi didn’t want him to be a waiter. He’s hired him to be a mascot.”

_ “ _ Waiter  _ and _ mascot. And he  _ offered _ to hire me,” Jounouchi insisted, his words slowly rising out of a hiss as he relaxed, his glare the only thing that remained harsh as he focused on the ground between them. “I never said I’d take it. They’re not even open yet, so why should I rush to agree to that?” 

“There’s nothing wrong with being a mascot,” Anzu tried to assure, only to blink blankly with the rest of them as Bakura jumped in.

“Yes, I’m sure you’d do a wonderful job at it, Jounouchi-kun. And the Otogis will probably be great employers.”

“…You  _ do _ remember that they burned down their last business on opening day, right?”

_ “Anyways,” _ Yuugi jumped in before Bakura could comment, cutting through the frown that had started to form on Atem’s face at the mere mention of that day– and when the displaced king looked to his partner, he saw that Yuugi’s smile was strained, covering his own efforts to toss away the unexpectedly jarred memories. “Does anyone want to go somewhere else?”

_ “Oh,”  _ Jounouchi jerked upright, excitement overtaking his pain and frustration. “Let’s go back to the arcade! I didn’t get to actually play with you guys.”

“Jounouchi.  _ Bags,” _ Honda cut in before Atem or Yuugi could answer, meeting the blond glare for glare as he shifted a bag up indicatively, the shape of a gallon of milk clearly outlined in the bottom. “Anzu and I can’t go in there, remember?”

“I guess I can’t check out that computer sale, then, either,” Bakura sighed, prompting Honda’s expression to soften.

“Sorry, man. We would have waited if we knew you wanted to still shop and stick together.” 

“We thought this trip was just for food, and for you to buy paints while Atem-kun found some clothes,” Anzu added on, matching Honda’s apologetic look with a smile– until Jounouchi huffed impatiently.

“Right, right, but I still want to at least check out the capsule machines.” 

_ “Oh, _ did they refill the CapMon machine?” Yuugi perked up at the mere idea, and when Jounouchi hooted a confirmation, he earned matching beams from Yuugi and Atem alike.

“You know it! And the machines are in  _ front _ of the arcade, so there shouldn’t be any issue with you guys and your food! I just need one of you to lend me some change.” 

“Switch that to  _ break _ some change, and I might be able to help you.” 

“…You got enough 100¥ coins for a 1000 bill?”

“…Seriously?” 

“What? It’s the only money I’ve got left!”

As Anzu sighed and pulled out her coin purse, Atem started shifting through his own pockets, wondering at what currency he had on him– until a quiet,  _ “Mou hitori no boku?” _ brought his eyes back up. 

Yuugi was staring at him, a tentative smile tugging at his mouth– but the uncertainty beneath doused Atem’s initial impulse to return the look. “Are you just getting pants and shirts? You don’t want anything to go with them?” Atem’s focus ticked low again as his partner raised and waved his wrist, indicating the leather band that enveloped it. “I know you’re just trying to save the washer and Mama, but we could still get you some accessories or jewelry or something. I know a couple places with good prices. Or you can keep borrowing mine, if that was what you were thinking.”

Atem grinned, letting his eyes catch and cradle Yuugi’s for a long nothing of a second… before shaking his head. “No, thank you,  _ aibou. _ I don’t think that will be necessary.” The offer was sweet though the offer was, and the echo of what they’d left behind in that clothing store mingled with the generosity of it, painting Atem’s gaze warm, especially as his partner fell into it and mirrored the sentiment… until the loop was broken by Yuugi asking–

“Why’s that?”

…Atem frowned. 

It was only a faint crease in the brow, but still, as their friends shifted to leave, and move for the arcade, Atem’s mouth fell into a flat line, and he felt his partner’s shock and confusion as he turned away, trailing behind them, “I had another thought,” as explanation.

When Yuugi found his feet and rushed after him–  _ them, _ Jounouchi was already tossing back questions of desired prizes, and Honda was seeking assistance in carrying food.

The answer– even the question itself, was lost to the walk.

* * *

“Well?”

Yuugi swerved in his chair, grimacing as the impulsive move made the Hanayama pieces fall apart in his hands.

_ Damn, _ he’d been so close that time.

His irritation faded quickly, though, as he turned and took in Atem.

He was standing in the middle of the bedroom, palms turned out in an prompting manner, a faint smile on his face as he waited for Yuugi’s response, comfortable and expectant. After all, this wasn’t the first time he’d changed that evening and asked for Yuugi’s input. Even his efforts to  _ seek  _ that input had streamlined into a simple, one word prompt, the trust that he would get nothing but a positive response from his partner clear at a single look.

And he was right. 

Yuugi took one look at the newest outfit… and got stuck.

Stared at his boyfriend in his new dark slacks and scoop-necked grey tee… and slowly smiled, chest bubbling with an appreciation that probably showed full tilt across his face.

And Atem instantly grinned, eyes fond, satisfied, and– uncertain. 

Like a cat that had successfully caught a mouse… and had no idea what to do with it.

It was a breathless sort of look that Yuugi was rapidly growing familiar with, and he shook back a laugh at his own expense as he nodded. “Yeah, that’s a good one.”

“Pants and shirt both?”

“Yup.”

“Good,” Atem breathed out, letting his hands drop as he moved to the bed, towards the pile of clothes dropped on the covers. And Yuugi instantly tensed, flushing with the suspicion that he was about to change again, prompting the silent debate he’d had every  _ other  _ time Atem had changed that night.

Should he not look?

…It was stupid, really. They’d changed in front of each other numerous times in the last few weeks.  _ Had _ to with the room sharing and all.

But.

Half the time, they didn’t  _ actually, _ because they took their clothes in to the bath at night. And in the morning, the focus was on dragging themselves out of bed and downstairs as fast as possible, not on stopping to gawk at one another’s skin. 

They had never mixed the action with such a direct  _ look at me  _ before.

And, though Atem hadn’t slipped out to the bathroom with the huge pile, he hadn’t  _ invited _ Yuugi to look! Or… okay, the very idea of him even doing that was ludicrous, and made Yuugi’s throat close up, but the fact remained that he  _ hadn’t  _ said anything, and every time he tore his shirt off, Yuugi leaned towards discretion and turned back towards his desk.

Face red.

Struggling with a metal link puzzle he could have assembled in seconds if he wasn’t… hyper-aware of the sound of fabric moving behind him. 

…Point was, he’d looked away before, and he should probably just keep doing that.

And he was about to when he realized Atem wasn’t actually changing. He just put his glasses back on… and knelt down at the side of the bed.

Yuugi tossed his puzzle onto his neglected textbook, beside the  _ real _ Puzzle, and pushed forward in his chair, frowning. “You should probably… change before you go crawling under there.”

“It’s fine, I’m keeping these pants anyways,” Atem dismissed, glancing his way… and arching a brow. “You alright,  _ aibou?” _

“–I’m fine,” Yuugi shook his head, dismissed his own fluster and the faint smile on his boyfriend’s face, staying focused on the bed’s underside. “What are you doing, though?”   

“Aa.” He could hear Atem’s mood shift, the amusement dissipating as he bent down again, and strained… pulling something out from beneath the mattress.

That duffel bag… 

He had expected it, but still Yuugi frowned to see it, pushing himself off of his chair to sit cross-legged on the floor across from Atem, the bag between them. “What do you need this out for?” He had assumed they wouldn’t even be bringing that thing out into the light of day again until… well, until July 24th. 

Until Egypt.

It was just opening a Pandora’s Box to mess with the contents of that bag more than they needed to– and Yuugi was sure by the look on his face that Atem agreed wholeheartedly.

And yet, he said, “I wanted something out of it,” unzipping it.

Yuugi’s back went tense with the sound, but instantly relaxed in a tossed shock when opening the bag revealed not gold metal, but purple cloth.

_ Oh. _

Atem scooped out the vibrant bundle, zipped up the bag, and swept it aside with an arm, all in one, smooth second. But Yuugi could only distantly appreciate the gesture when he was so focused on that cape, folded up and dropped between their knees.

It was lumpy. 

And, while the memory of Atem originally packing the article away was nothing but a distracted blur, lost to when they first ran from the museum and rushed to tuck away any evidence of what happened, lest they color his family’s reaction before they could present things as they liked, Yuugi could guess what was inside. 

A hesitant hand crept to the bundle, Yuugi gently worrying the soft, cool fabric between finger and thumb as he waited for Atem to prove him right by revealing the contents.

…Yuugi frowned, and looked up.

Atem was just… staring, expression blank save for a faint furrow between his eyes. It left him looking thoughtful, or just… troubled.

But what  _ Yuugi  _ saw was hesitation.

“…You alright?”

Atem didn’t jerk or jolt at the break of the silence. He was too clearly conscious of his company for some shock like that. But he did breathe in deeply and shake his head once, a determined glean touching his frown. “I want to be. These are supposed to be mine, after all. I shouldn’t treat them like something I shouldn’t touch.” 

“Yeah.” Yuugi nodded, pulling his hand away as Atem took an edge himself and began to unfold the cape– revealing the crisp fabric and gold beneath.

_ Atem’s _ gold.

“You were– thinking of wearing this?”  

“Not all of it,” Atem half-confirmed, instantly pulling out the white and blue linen to set it aside, beside his left knee. “Or even most of it. All I bought were pants, for instance, so the ankle pieces are instantly impractical.”

“Oh, I could always lend you some shorts.” Yuugi grinned, eyes sliding up to make sure Atem was mirroring the humor before adding, “You have really nice calves, after all. It’d be a waste not to show them off.” 

“Do I now?” Atem slid his eyes up to Yuugi’s with a grin, gaze tickled, and pleased, and… buzzing uncertainty again.

Yuugi dropped his smile to the gold again, before his throat could close up. “Yup.”

“Hmm… Still, I doubt your summer shorts would be a good fit with gold braces covering half of my legs.”

“Probably not.” 

The teasing truths faded naturally into silence as Atem straightened the pieces out so they were all visible, not jumbled together in a tight pile, and started picking out the pieces he should obviously just store away again: the ankle braces, the golden belt, wide chest collar and the curious half mantle that had kept his cape off of his left shoulder when he had worn the whole ensemble.

And Yuugi just watched, slowly raising his legs to hug his knees and rest his chin on his arm… his eyes catching curiously over each piece in turn. 

It really kind of crazy, when he considered it. Either the things in front of him were a conjured figment of an evil demon’s machinations, somehow solidified to linger and glimmer and  _ stay _ long after those machinations went wrong… or, they were gold. Jewels and jewelry, ancient and royal and  _ his.  _ Atem’s. Dragged three thousand years out of the past into Yuugi’s bedroom. 

And either option seemed so… impossible.

And he saw that same disbelief in his other self’s eyes as he carefully, uncertainly picked up that crown… slid a slow thumb across the eye as he stared down into it.

As Yuugi stared at him, wondering what it was for him. What it meant to Atem, to hold that gold.

He didn’t know… because, looking at Atem? It looked like he didn’t know what to think, either.

He just looked at it for a while… and then set it aside in the pile to be tucked back away again, a tired sort of peace on his face.

And Yuugi couldn’t look at it. Dodged his eyes in favor of the remaining pieces… unfolding one arm to gingerly edge one wrist cuff upright with a fingertip, so that he could see the filigree work and black stonework along its side.

It  _ felt _ natural enough, that was for sure. Honestly not unlike the Puzzle and its box, resting on the desk behind him.

Which… was odd. One would think something tinged in magic would be different somehow. Stand out.

But then, wasn’t  _ all _ of this magic in some way?

Wasn’t… his other self, too?

_ “Aibou?” _ His finger jolted back as Yuugi looked up, blinked sunspots from his eyes at the soft smile on Atem’s face. His other self had stopped, leaned back from the pile to watch him… the only thing in his own hands the one piece of jewelry in the pile that was  _ not _ gold, or ancient.

The cartouche, the symbols that held his name emblazoned by magic upon the silver.

“It’s fine. You can touch them if you like. There’s nothing wrong with it.”

…Yuugi snorted, grinning as tension he hadn’t been conscious of seeped out of his shoulders. “Right. Thanks.”

“Mhmn.” 

And so, as Atem considered each of the remaining, more promising pieces, he handed those he decided to keep out directly to his partner, to hold and finger and inspect as he liked. The cuffs he’d just been looking at, the two braces that would fit over Atem’s arms, the small handful of rings… They all felt as natural as he would have expected. All real, and solid as the metal they were. 

_ Enduring.  _

It was a strange comfort, that discovery.

Yuugi had put down all but the last – the single ring that was not smooth gold – and was fingering the curious blue stone set in it when Atem spoke up, tugging him out of his soft wonder.

_ “Aibou.” _

He looked up– and blinked at the object being held out to him.

It was his own leather collar. The one Atem had been wearing.

A short glance up showed it had been replaced by a band of gold, the face above it smiling faintly. “How do I look?”

…Yuugi smiled back, pressing back the strange, soggy weight that set in his chest at the quietly majestic sight. “Like a king.”

Atem’s brows rose– and then slowly dropped, a strained echo of his smile rising back into place as they stared at each other, saying nothing for a breath. Nothing in words, the air filled instead by the warmth, and the knowledge, they both shared with a look. 

Yuugi swallowed, pressing down the tension of it as he put down the blue-stoned ring and accepted the collar, buckling it around his own neck, finding something of a comfort in its tight contact– while in front of him, Atem slid the ankh pendant over his head.

The movement jolted a thought through Yuugi’s head, and he stalled with a frown as he looked down, focusing on the golden collar on his neck. “You know, you shouldn’t keep the Puzzle on the chain if you’re going to wear that. The metal will probably scratch up the gold.”

Atem went still with the suggestion, stalling mid-reach for the last bits of gold as he looked taken aback at his partner– his other hand reaching slowly up to his neck to prod at the edge. “I hadn’t thought about that.” And from the sound of it, he was already regretting giving up the leather collar. 

And Yuugi bit his lip to see it, wondered if he should just offer it back… and tossed the question aside for later, looking down for something to distract him with, and– “Are you going to keep those, too?”

Atem looked down, and picked up the items. The only pieces left on the cape.

The earrings, and the clips that went with them.

His fingers slid delicately along the lines of blue in the broad, heavy pieces, considering them for a long breath before– “No, I don’t think so.” He set them aside, beside the crown and the clothes and the rest, keeping only the thin gold ear clips as he settled back with a half-smirk. “I doubt your mother would appreciate me wearing something so… showy.”

…Yuugi snorted, grinning as he gathered up the rings at his knee and handed them to his other self, teasing as he slid the gold onto his fingers. “There’s not much point in worrying about  _ that. _ She’s given up saying much about  _ my _ clothes, since– well. Since you.”

Atem looked up, followed his pointed gaze to the desk… and shared his smirk as he caught his focus on the Puzzle. “Noted. Still, they’d likely look out place with my glasses and clothes. I can just wear these,” he said, sliding the clips over the back of his ears, above the holes in his lobes. “And look for something else, perhaps. I’ve dodged a need for anything else, there wouldn’t be anything wrong with one pair of new earrings.” 

…A grin slapped across Yuugi’s face, possibility sparking across his mind and leaving him light as he shifted his legs and leaned forward on his hands– earning an intrigued glance from his other self before he even spoke. “In that case, let me pick them out.” 

Atem blinked, giving a slow, baffled head shake as he eyed him, bemusement and amusement warring in his fond glance. “I really  _ do _ have money left,  _ aibou. _ Whatever you may think, I didn’t spend it all on you.”

In that case, either Atem was a shockingly good bargain buyer, or  _ Jii-chan  _ was paying him way more than he used to Yuugi. 

Either way, Yuugi shook his head, grinning stubbornly. “Yeah, but I  _ want _ to get you something.”

Atem’s expression melted, but did not waver. “You got me these clothes, remember?”

“Yeah, but you picked those out. This would be a proper gift.”

“I see…” Atem shifted his hands to the carpet, and leaned forward. Mirrored Yuugi’s own position with a smirk, until they were near nose-to-nose. “And what if I don’t like them?”

Yuugi’s brow rose, then dropped low, his eyes narrowing over an accusing grin. “Are you questioning my taste,  _ mou hitori no boku?” _

_ “Just _ posing the question,  _ aibou. _ It’s always possible.”

“Well, in that case, I’d just take them back and find you something else.” Yuugi leaned forward, heard it as Atem sucked in a breath when their noses actually tapped, his own chest full of the warm tension of it. Neither blinked, though. Or stopped smiling. “I’m bound to get it right eventually.”

“Mhmm… and what if I decide I could never reject a gift from you?” Atem posed, tilting his head just a bit… just enough to graze the side of his nose against Yuugi’s, sitting back only after he extracted a  _ shiver _ from him. When Atem slid back into sight, it was with a twinkling smirk. “That I love it, just because it’s from you?”

…Yuugi swallowed, pushing determinedly through the sudden glee fogging up his head, and– “You wouldn’t break a promise like that.” 

…

Atem sat back fully, frowning at him. “I never promised anything like that.”

“Yeah, not yet.” Breathing deeply, Yuugi grinned as his pulse stopped fluttering so violently, leaving room for him to think. And play. “I haven’t  _ asked  _ you yet.”

Atem stared at him, trying to piece together his meaning… but he must have, eventually. Guessed, or read it in Yuugi’s eyes. For eventually, he snorted, grinning expectantly,  _ lovingly _ at his partner, and– “I see… and what sort of promise are we talking about?”

Yuugi grinned… reaching down to gently fold up the cape and push it, and everything else out of the way. 

Atem didn’t protest, just watched with curious, intrigued eyes… that blanked with visible, breathless shock as Yuugi slid into the cleared space, knee-to-knee with him, close enough that leaning wasn’t even required. All he had to do now to touch his other self was reach out, and he could grasp his bare arm. Squeeze it, run an affection thumb over the soft give of flesh as he smiled up into a face rightly, and properly thrown. Flushed. “Atem? If I get you some earrings, or any gift at all, and you don’t like it, will you promise to be honest with me about it? So that I can find something you  _ will  _ enjoy, and feel secure that if you accept something from me, you actually, truly like it?”

…Atem was caught. 

And he knew it.

And he sniffed into a wide, delighted grin for it, shaking his head as his gaze  _ screamed  _ adoration, the look filling Yuugi up until he felt he would float away with it. “Yes,” Atem allowed, relaxing easily into the concession as he smiled back at him. “I promise.”

“Good,” Yuugi breathed back… allowing himself to bask into the sweetness of it… before he broke out in a grin, letting his hand slide down to his wrist as he proclaimed, “And now, you can’t go back on it.”

“I suppose not,” Atem conceded– but with a smirk that caught Yuugi’s eye, told him this was far from over. Made his grin quirk wider as Atem twisted his hand up, catching his fingers and playing over them as he ‘mused’ aloud. “Of course, I’d also have a hard time  _ disliking _ any gift that came from you, so matter  _ what _ it looked like–”

“If you on a purely aesthetic level do  _ not _ like something I give you,” Yuugi interrupted as he trapped those fingers right back, holding them still. Glared playfully into Atem’s shit-eating grin. “Then that absolutely counts as you not liking it.”

“Hmm… perhaps we should agree to disagree.”

_ “Nope.  _ You just suggested the possibility yourself that you wouldn’t like the earrings, even if they did come from me. You can’t fall back on that now.” 

“But what if I–”

Someone knocked.

They both jumped, the mischief shocked from their faces as they both looked to the door, hands still locked… but the door was locked, and after a quick try of the knob, the person knocked again.

“Yuugi-kun? Atem-kun? Are you in there?”

“…Yeah!” Yuugi chirped, looking to Atem– earning a faint shrug back before they let go, Yuugi rising and moving for the door, his hand flexing with the lost contact. 

He opened up to find a curious-eyed, but otherwise relaxed mother on the other side. 

“Is it time for dinner, Mama?” 

“No, not yet,” she answered, shifting her attention from Yuugi to the boy behind him– blinking in faint surprise once she spotted him. “Is that a new shirt, Atem-kun?”

“Aa.” Yuugi turned to see Atem stuffing the cape back into the duffel, the only gold left on the floor the pieces he had decided to keep out. “We went shopping at the mall today.”

“Ah yes,  _ Otou-san _ said you had gone out after your shift.”

“He was trying on the clothes we bought,” Yuugi interjected, jumping in– only to inwardly grimace at his own offered explanation. If his mother wasn’t going to make anything of the locked door, why was  _ he _ bringing it up?!

She still didn’t seem to notice anything though, thankfully, her expression still mild as she nodded. “I can see that. That shirt looks nice on you, Atem-kun.” 

“…Thank you.”

“It would look better without all of that jewelry, though.”

“Hn.”

“Did you need anything, Mama?” Yuugi cut in, trying to drag her attention back to him. And this time he succeeded, earning an oddly distracted glance, and slow nod from his mother.

“Oh, yes. I was going to ask, you don’t have any plans for tomorrow after school, do you?”

“Oh. No, I don’t think so. Do you need me to help  _ Jii-chan _ and Atem in the shop or something?”

“No, no, nothing like that.  _ I  _ need you. I want us to go to the underground tomorrow.”

…Yuugi opened his mouth to reply… and shut it again, frowning.

_ What? _

“With me?”

“Yes, that’s why I said.”

“But… what for?”

His mother’s mouth went thin, impatience starting to fan across her expression. “Is there something odd about me wanting to go shopping with you?”

“Uh, well,” Yuugi fumbled, trying to come up with some answer that would make his mother stop frowning at him… and coming up with nothing but a shrug. “K-kinda?”

…His mother huffed, shooting him a weary, tired sort of look before turning to go. “Just meet me at the station after school tomorrow. And come down in half an hour. Dinner should be ready by then.”

“Ah, alright…” His mom didn’t linger to hear his answer, and soon enough Yuugi was staring at an empty hallway… He turned around, and found Atem frowning, the same uncertain,  _ wary _ confusion  _ he  _ felt staring back at him. 

“What was that about?”

Yuugi could only shrug.

* * *

“You’re late.”

Yuugi jerked about, his shoulders relaxing under the straps of his backpack as he noticed his mother just behind him. He hadn’t noticed her a moment ago, but she must have been among the crowd near the station square lottery stand– since there were a couple tickets visible in her hand. “Sorry, I got… wait, did you give me a time to be here?”

“No, but this station is only a five minute walk from your school. Shouldn’t you have made it here twenty minutes ago?”

“Jounouchi-kun wanted to talk to me after class.”

“Talk, or play?”

“…Did you want to go down to the mall?”

His mother huffed, clearly not pleased or impressed by the weak dodge. But, apparently she didn’t consider it worth picking at, since she turned for the stairs leading to the underground without a counter. “Come on, let’s go. But, honestly, I’m surprised Jounouchi-kun didn’t come along with you.”

Yuugi rushed to keep up, falling right behind her as the crowd closed in around them, forcing him to wait until they came out in the hall belowground and he had space to walk side-by-side with her again to answer. “I got the feeling that you wanted to be alone today, since you didn’t ask Atem to come. So, I told him it was just us.”

“…Thank you, Yuugi-kun. I appreciate that.”

“Yeah, well…” Yuugi shuffled his bag’s weight in a needless fidget, eyeing his mother’s back… before shaking his head, tossing his suspicions and fears aside for the time being. “He actually decided to go to our place. To keep Atem company after his shift, and wait for me to get back.”

“Good. Then he can have dinner with them. There should be enough for three.” 

Yuugi stalled as he registered the implications of that, then rushed double-time to catch up, dodging a couple of rushing bodies as they reached the long underground lane of shops and restaurants and entertainment places– the crowds even thicker amid the afternoon rush.

“Are we going to be out that long?”

“Yes, I suspect so. We’ll find somewhere to eat first, assuming you’re hungry enough already, and then we can go shopping.” Yuugi didn’t directly answer,  _ or  _ protest. He just looked at his mother out of the corner of his eye as they walked… And, while she eventually noticed Yuugi’s silence and eyed him back for it, she misinterpreted it, hiking up of her purse strap as she faced forward. “I know you probably want to get back to your friends, Yuugi-kun, but they will be fine on their own. I left dinner ready for heating, so they shouldn’t starve or burn anything. And, maybe between Jounouchi-kun and Atem-kun, they can keep  _ Otou-san  _ out of trouble until we get home.”

“I really don’t think  _ Jii-chan _ would do anything to cause trouble, Mama.” 

* * *

“I can’t believe you’ve never played Poker before!”

“Well, I  _ haven’t,  _ okay?!” Atem grinned at the table he was polishing as, across the game shop, Jounouchi snapped at a scoffing Sugoroku.

“Jounouchi-kun, my grandson’s told me a number of times that you favor Lady Luck in your play style, and you haven’t gone out of your way to master one of the most basic of luck-based games?” 

Grabbing the glass polish to spray his dried out rag, Atem eyed the two in the shop with him– Sugoroku tapping a deck of playing cards on the countertop as Jounouchi glowered at him with a mix of irritation and self-conscious doubt stamped on his face. 

“I just haven’t had a chance before! Nobody I ever ran into played, or bothered to show me how. All the guys I knew growing up gambled with other stuff…” And suddenly, Jounouchi turned to  _ him. _ “Hey, Atem? Do  _ you _ know how to play Poker?”

“Yes.” Atem set aside the bottle, smiling reassuringly at his deflated friend before focusing on the glass again. “But that’s only because  _ Jii-chan _ showed  _ aibou.” _

“Ho ho, that’s right. Yuugi’s had the rules of that game down since he was five! Although, I wouldn’t call him a master at it.” 

Atem’s hand stilled, his gaze sliding sharply to his partner’s grandfather, even as his head stayed down.

But Sugoroku was still focused on Jounouchi, who was frowning at him with torn consideration. “So,  _ Yuugi _ knows the game? He never mentioned it to me before.” 

“He probably wouldn’t have, unless you had some money to burn. I taught my boy that games like Poker are pointless unless you’re willing to put your money where your mouth is.” 

A gamble wasn’t a gamble unless it came with a prize and a risk: an old sentiment that bounced up from the dust of Atem’s own mind, before he tossed it back to focus on the glass again. Keen as he may be on the topic, the faster he worked, the sooner he could move on and actually play with his friend, who had come over specifically to see him.

Maybe when he was finished, if Jounouchi  _ really  _ wanted to learn the game, Atem could show him how to– 

“Why don’t we have a go at it?”

Atem stalled. Stood up completely to stare at Sugoroku, his shock a perfect mirror of Jounouchi’s.

“You’d teach me how to play Poker?”

“Why not? It’s slow in here tonight, and we’re closing in half-an-hour, anyways. Atem!” Sugoroku shot him a grin, tossing the card pack in the air only to catch it again. “You mind watching the store and closing up while I explain the rules to Jounouchi-kun?”

“…No, that should be fine–” he started, his eyes narrowing as Sugoroku cut him off right before he could get out a  _ but. _

“Great! Come on, lad. We can use the kitchen table. I could use an excuse to get off my feet.”

“Oh… Alright. Guess I’ll see you inside, Atem!”

“Guess so,” Atem echoed, watching his grandfather and friend disappear through the shop’s back  door… sighing as he turned back to the table.

He hoped Jounouchi didn’t have much pocket change on him.

* * *

“Didn’t you say that brand was too expensive?”

“It is,” Mama sighed, turning a second teaspoon of cream over into her coffee before lifting the cup out of its saucer, taking a sip with an unpleasant expression that had nothing to do with the taste. “It’s all Atem-kun’s fault, you know. He grabbed Blue Mountain at the store a few weeks ago, and now I’m hooked again. And  _ Otou-san  _ isn’t any help at all, refusing to switch back to Toraja even if  _ I _ do. I can’t have it in the house if only I have to avoid it.”

“But you do like it better, right?” 

“That isn’t the only consideration, Yuugi-kun.”

“…Atem said he likes it, too.”

“Did he?”

Yuugi smiled in answer, seeing his mother’s frown slide into a neutral consideration… a faint hint of relief rising up in his chest when his hesitant mention of Atem brought no alarming reaction from his mother.

No, it was noticing him staring that made Mama frown again, and narrow her eyes with impatience. “Why are you talking to me? Did you finish your readings?”

Yuugi grimaced, straightening in his seat. “No.”

“Then focus. At this rate, the shop will close before you’re done.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

He sighed, breaking eye contact with his irked mother to pick up his highlighter, tackling his textbook again.

They were at a shockingly free table in an underground cafe.

They hadn’t even made it into the restaurant.

Normally, Yuugi would have been far more circumspect about bringing up school with Mama. But damn if she hadn’t caught him off-guard. He had been so wary, so focused on  _ what _ this trip could be about, so worried that he and Atem had screwed up somehow and been caught in the hallway or the family room or left the door unlocked and not noticed someone walk in… that when Mama asked whether or not he had homework back in line at a steak place, he had gone and said  _ yes. _

And when she turned and looked at him point blank, no blinking, and asked him what it was, he had panicked. 

And told the truth.

Hearing he had a civics test in class tomorrow that he had yet to study for, she snapped at him, marched right out of the restaurant, grabbed a sandwich out of a vending machine for him to eat, then sat him  _ and  _ his book bag down in at the closest table– which happened to be in that cafe.

The sandwich and a high tip bribe to the waiter were long gone, and Mama had given into the impulse to buy something from the cafe itself, ordering Yuugi a melon soda he had had refilled twice already while  _ she _ nursed a coffee.

She was still drinking it when Yuugi’s attention drifted from a blurring passage about government functions, and discovered her peering at him over the rim of the cup.

“…Are you not bored?”

“Frankly? Yes. I did not expect to need a book tonight. I’ve actually been trying to read your textbook upside down… and getting farther than you, apparently, since I got to the bottom of the page a minute ago.”

Yuugi shifted in his seat, frowning down at the book as he moved his elbow off of the next page. “Then, shouldn’t we just go? We’re not going to shop now, right? And I can read at home just fine, and you won’t have to just stare at me all night.”

“Jounouchi-kun is there, remember?”

“Yeah, and he has the same test I do.”

“I’ve been in the house when you two study, Yuugi-kun. There are quite a few cards involved and very little reading.”

Yuugi huffed, tossing himself back in his seat as he glowered directly at his mother. “We won’t  _ play, _ okay? We’ll even stay in the living room if you want. And if Atem decides to stay with us, I’ll tell him we have to focus.” Not that Atem ever distracted him from his studies, anyways… unless Yuugi himself sought distraction  _ from  _ him. 

However common that might be.

“Really though, Mama, what’s this about? You haven’t been this involved in my studies in years, save to tell me to do them.”

“Yes, I know.” She sighed, putting down her cup as she focused not on him, but on the book, not a hint of the weight Yuugi feared in her expression despite her seriousness. “And I am beginning to regret that. Your study habits are atrocious.”

Yuugi grimaced, turning back to the book to dodge her eyes. “I know I don’t study enough–”

“No, I mean the way you read.”

“I’m slow, I know–”

_ “No, _ I mean you started from the beginning of the chapter.”

… 

Yuugi looked back up and stared blank-faced at his mother.

His expression made her impatience erupt with a huff, and she pulled the book out from right under his arms, making him shuffle to put his hands to the table as she turned the book, flipping through the pages and pointing at a passage. “You should always check the summary at the end of the chapter  _ before _ you start, any headings and highlighted terms, and maybe the graphs if there are any.”

Yuugi looked at the short paragraph under his mother’s finger… then back up at her. “Wouldn’t I just take longer if I read that twice?”

Rather than sigh or snap at him, his mother shook her head, expression ebbing into simple avid emphasis as she put the book back in front of him. “No. Knowing what the chapter is about means you don’t have to guess what the author is getting at, and you can rush through the main sections when you already comprehend the point, and don’t have to pause and try to puzzle out the context of the points.”

Yuugi’s attention remained on his mother, even as she ignored his silent stares to flip back to the beginning of the chapter. “And you can usually skip the introduction. It just repeats the summary in a more roundabout way, see?” Yuugi finally looked down at the direct prompting, the first three whole pages, which he had struggled to get through, visible beneath his mother’s finger before she moved on to the next section. “And if you practice at skimming a paragraph before reading it, you can piece out what you can skip. Like all of this about the fishermen of Nagaragawa? Unless there are going to be essay questions on the test, just getting the basic facts is enough. Fishermen, Nagawara, civil servants– get the key points, get your shorthand notes in order, and move on. Just refer to your notes for later study… Yuugi-kun, are you even  _ taking  _ notes?”

She was frowning again, clearly on the edge of a proper snap. 

But Yuugi didn’t even grimace, his eyes wide as he finally found his voice only to spit out, “Why are you so good at this?”

The irritation was whipped from his mother’s face in an instant, replaced with a… a floundering nothing, really, until she shook her head and looked to the book. “These are just basic study skills. Don’t overstate it.”

“No way! This is all super smart. I never heard any of this from any of my teachers. They just tell me to read everything front to back until I have it memorized. And I can never do it right.”

“Of course they do. It’s what they’re told to emphasized. But only a few people can learn that way, and it’s not practical.”

“Well,  _ I _ didn’t know.”

“Well,  _ now you do.”  _ The emphasis was sharp, but there was no frown or furrow to his mother’s expression as she looked at him. Only a simple consideration. “Do you have any note cards?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Then get them out. I’ll show you how to make sum-up outlines– though you won’t have much time to use them if you’re taking the test tomorrow.”

“That’s fine!” Yuugi unzipped his bag, grinning as he sifted through loose supplies. “I’ll just know for later.”

“Alright, then hurry up. I won’t need to anything but the dishes tonight, so if you finish fast enough, we can go to the arcade.”

Yuugi stalled, note cards in hand, to stare at her. “…Seriously?”

“Yes.  _ If  _ you stay focused and finish quickly.”

“Right.” Yuugi quirked another grin at her, then looked back down at his book… his expression sliding into a faint, but focused determination as he picked up a pencil and wrote the chapter title on the top of a notecard.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his mother smiling as she drank her coffee.

* * *

“Oh,  _ come on!” _

Atem’s mouth quirked with a smile as he strolled into the kitchen, the exclamations he had been hearing all throughout the shop lock up and walk into the house finally morphing into clear words when he was in sight of the kitchen– and the pair sitting at its table.

“Having trouble, Jounouchi?”

The only answer was an agonized groan muffled by the tabletop, while over Jounouchi’s dropped head Sugoroku chuckled goodnaturedly, sweeping a small pile of change into his hand. “Oh, he’s got the basic rules down. We just have to work on when to fold and when to raise.”

“Like  _ hell _ we do.” Jounouchi finally pulled his face from the wood, only to shoot Sugoroku a pained grimace. “I can’t spend anymore money learning your lessons!”

“Probably wise,” Atem praised, going to the fridge for a water bottle as he spoke. “The most important skill to pick up in Poker is to know when you have a good chance to win, and when you don’t, and to fold when you are clearly at a disadvantage. There are ways to learn without spending all of your money.”

The silence at his back tickled Atem’s senses, and he was frowning when he turned around– and saw the constipated look on Jounouchi’s face.

“…You already kept going too long, didn’t you?”

“I’m out of cash.” Jounouchi’s expression was as empty as his voice.

And it lit the fire in Atem’s as he narrowed his eyes on Sugoroku. “How much money did you take from him?”

Sugoroku shot him a placating look that bounced right off of Atem’s awareness, straightening the bills and coins in his hand. “I haven’t counted, but if we go by what I bet myself, ignoring raises and folds mixing it up… about three-thousand yen?”

“Three–” Atem pulled a chair out from the table, throwing himself down in the seat as he slapped his water bottle down on the table unopened. “How did you manage that in half an hour?! We always play with a fifty yen limit!”

“Well, we started out with that,” Sugoroku calmly tried to explain, only for Jounouchi to interrupt with a miserable defense.

“It was my choice. I got frustrated when I lost a few hands in a row. I wanted to win it all back at once.”

“That doesn’t mean  _ Jii-chan _ had to agree to it,” Atem insisted, keeping an unaccepting glare set on Sugoroku– that the older man met, sharp look for sharp look.

“Calm down, Atem-kun. I made certain he understood the game before we started any bets. He decided to break the limit himself.”

“That doesn’t mean it was a fair game. He just tried it for the first time, and you’ve played for decades. And you would never break a limit with  _ aibou!” _

Sugoroku let out an unexpected laugh, grinning at him, the tension seemingly broken for him– if not Atem. “I thought you shared all of Yuugi’s memories, but you don’t remember when I first taught him the game and he threw away a month’s allowance by getting impatient? You  _ must _ remember something of it, since you nearly quoted me word-for-word there, ‘don’t push when you’re at a disadvantage.’”

Atem… actually  _ did  _ recall that, now that it was mentioned.

But rather than answer, he scowled. “That was different.” A month’s allowance meant no treats or new games for a while, not a whole wallet’s worth of food money lost! 

But he couldn’t say so. Not with Jounouchi frowning at him like that, or Sugoroku shaking his head, unawares. “I don’t see how. But anyways, thanks for playing, Jounouchi-kun! I’ll be happy to give you tips for next time, if you want to play again.”

“Heh, thanks.” Jounouchi tried to smile, and failed miserably. 

Atem looked grimly from him to Sugoroku, then focused hard on the older man. “Deal me in.”

Sugoroku’s grin faded away, replaced by surprise. “What?”

“I want to play. Deal me in.”

“Uh, Atem?” Jounouchi looked uncertainly from one ‘Mutou’ to the other, clearly wary. “I don’t have any money to play anymore.”

“Then just me and  _ Jii-chan, _ fine.”

Rather than question his insisting tone or protest, Sugoroku just considered him, as though trying to weigh him by sight alone. “Certainly, if you like. But wouldn’t you rather eat first? Jounouchi-kun and I already had dinner.”

“I’m not hungry. I just want to play.” He narrowed his eyes, each word a hard thud. “Without limits.”

Jounouchi opened his mouth as if to cut in, but no sound came out as Sugoroku raised a brow at him. “Oh? You won’t say anything about me taking advantage of you, will you?”

“Of course not. This is my choice.” 

“I see…” After a long, calculating moment… a grin broke across Sugoroku’s sharp gaze, leaving him shrugging and smiling as he reached for the cards. “Alright, then. I’ve never had a chance to play cards with royalty before. This should be fun.”

“Uh,” Jounouchi leaned towards Atem to mumble in his ear, gaze caught on the shuffling cards. “Are you sure about this?”

Atem’s mouth went flat, waiting, perfectly still until the cards were completely dealt before picking up his hand. “Absolutely.”

* * *

“What exactly is the attraction of this?”

The judgement behind the question was more than obvious, but there was something about his mother’s baffled tone and stare as she looked into the bright, flashing game, that made Yuugi pinch his lips, lest he let out a snort. “The prizes, of course. If you win, you get whatever you manage to grab.” A sharp given, of course, and Yuugi was sure, even if his mother had  _ never _ frequented arcades in her life, she had to know what a UFO Catcher crane game was. And after she had scoffed at the pointlessness of the shooters and the racing games and stared at him  _ horrified  _ at the idea of a rhythm game, he thought she might appreciate that a player could at least walk away from a crane game with something  _ earned _ beyond a high score that someone else could come along and erase in five minutes. 

Not that he  _ needed _ her to like any of the games. She’d said from the beginning that she was happy to wait in the cafe while he played, but since she had sat around waiting on him all evening, he wanted to find at least  _ something  _ there she might enjoy.  

But she just shook her head, turning to him with an unconvinced frown. “You could buy any of these prizes for a few hundred yen, couldn’t you? You’ll waste at least twice that trying to get  _ anything  _ out of these machines with a claw that flimsy.”

“Not if you have a little luck and know what you’re doing. And what to look for,” Yuugi claimed, grinning the wider when his mother’s gaze only grew more skeptical. Instead of answering, he took a couple of coins out of his pocket and starting up the game. “There was a machine with Sonic dolls closer to the door, for instance, and I might like those prizes better, but the game was just refilled and looks too tightly packed. I’ll never be able to grab anything. And this one here just has generic animals, but I should be able to get a heap of stuff out of it.”

“But this looks just as full as the other games here. And those claws  _ still  _ look too flimsy.”

“Yeah, but the prizes are little and piled on top of each other, and there’s some right up near the chute. I don’t even have to pick one up to win.”

“Why?”

“Look.” Taking a moment to position the crane, Yuugi pushed the button… and grinned as it went down right where he wanted, not directly on top of any specific plush, but right in the back of the little mound, prompting the whole pile to shift and fall over.

“Oh!” His mother jumped a little as not one, but  _ seven  _ round, palm-sized plush animals of all sorts and colors fell into the chute.

Yuugi fished them out with a grin. “That’s called the avalanche method. If it were one bigger doll in the same position, you could also tip it over by hitting it in the back– and if there’s one you  _ really _ want further inside the game, there are ways to prod it along to the chute… but yeah, that can take hundreds of yen to do right.”

He looked warily at his mother at the admittance, wondering if she would ask just how much money he’d spent discovering that fact… but she was staring at the toys in his hand. 

He followed her intrigued gaze to one in particular… and grinned, holding it out. “Here.”

Her brows shot up, and she sniffed into a smile. “I don’t need a toy, Yuugi-kun.”

“Come on! I got two of this one. Just take it.”

“Honestly,” she shook her head, but she was still smiling as she took the round black and white panda, squeezing it once… then sticking it in her purse. “Fine, but I still think the whole game is too gimmicky. I’d get frustrated just trying to master something like that.”

“Hmm. Then, you’d find a game that’s easier to pick up more fun?”

“I didn’t say that, but I suppose.”

“Huh.” Yuugi looked around… his focus catching on another UFO Catcher that held no toys or candy, but a bunch of round capsules with accessories in them– jewelry and watches and keychains glittering back at him from beyond the glass. He stared for a long moment… then headed towards it, grinning as he spoke over his shoulder. “Then, give me a minute. I can show you something a lot simpler when I’m done.”

“You don’t have to find something for me to play, Yuugi-kun.”

“Come on, I like the challenge!”

* * *

Atem threw down his hand, and Jounouchi choked as he saw the spread.

A  _ royal flush in spades. _

The chances of it were unbelievable. 

Near impossible. 

Took an  _ insane  _ amount of good luck.

And Atem just grit his teeth, cutting back the scream gathering in his throat.

“Ah! Looks like my intuition was right, eh?” Sugoroku said, smiling as he pushed the pot towards him.

The tiny,  _ measly _ pot of two hundred yen, all Atem’s.

Sugoroku had folded at the  _ first bet. _

If Atem didn’t know that Sugoroku, for all of his trickster ways, was an honorable player, he would think he had a mirror somewhere. Or a camera. Or had picked up the powers of the Millennium Eye without having to push the Item into his bloody socket. Because they had been playing for a while, and Atem’s luck had been near  _ perfect…  _ and Sugoroku kept folding, over and over, on every one of Atem’s good draws.

Atem had all of the winning hands, and yet somehow he had lost 500 yen.

Sugoroku chuckled as Jounouchi shook his head and got up, mumbling about getting some chips. The older man asked as he re-dealed the cards, “Would you like to stop and have some food, too?”

Atem watched the cards falling face down before him. Knew in the gut he always trusted that he should stop. That he should walk away while he had lost only a little.

He picked up the cards.

* * *

“This is  _ gambling.” _

“Oh, come on, Mama. You know that’s illegal! These are just medal games.”

“And  _ how _ is this ‘put a coin in and see how many you randomly get back’ thing not gambling?”

“Not a coin.  _ Medal.” _ Yuugi shook the plastic cup of silver coin-shaped  _ medals _ he had bought from a nearby dispenser, emphasizing that it was  _ not _ money before taking one out and putting it in the slot at the top of the machine.

He grinned as it fell onto the moving shelves below, prompting a domino effect as it pushed dozens of other medals around until a few at the very front of the shelf fell into a chute– and into the tray in front of him. “See? I got back medals. No money. And you see that button there?” Yuugi pointed at the large red button on the side of the machine until his mother eyed it with a frown. “That controls the shelf inside the game– the one that moves the medals around, so that you can try and time dropping a medal in with where the shelf is. If it works, you can make more fall out when you play. So, there is  _ some _ skill to it, but it’s a lot more straightforward than a UFO Catcher.” 

“A lot more like gambling.” She narrowed her eyes back on the moving medals… focusing in on the assembled tall pile of medals towards the front that looked like a– “What is that?”

“Oh, that’s the tower. It’s pretty far back right now, but if we can push it forward with other medals and it hits the glass, it will collapse and we’ll get  _ all _ of the medals in it. ”

“So, it’s a jackpot.”

“Well, it… sort of, yeah.”

_ “Uh-huh.” _

Yuugi sighed, turning and frowning up at his mother… before getting up and offering the seat when she inevitably won the contest of stares. “Mama, I swear, it’s legal. Just, give it a try, alright?”

His mother gave the stool a less than impressed look, frowned at Yuugi again… and finally sighed herself, flopping down and putting out an expectant hand for the cup. “This subterfuge is beyond obvious, Yuugi-kun. Legal or not, it’s clearly still the spirit of gambling. Just because it’s dodging the law doesn’t mean it isn’t wrong.”

Yuugi didn’t say anything as he handed over the cup, his thoughts too caught on how… did she not know about  _ Jii-chan _ joining his old gambling friends most Wednesdays to play Pachinko? Or that he taught Yuugi  _ years _ ago how to play– 

“How many of these am I supposed to put in?”

“O-oh, as many as you want. There’s no catch to it. You could just push them all through at once if it was a good strategy–” Yuugi flinched, pinching his lips together as his mother dropped medal after medal into the slot as fast as she could get them between her thumb and forefinger. “That… probably isn’t a good way to do it, though, Mama.”

“Why not? You said they can all go in at once.”

“Yes, but if you don’t move the slot to change where they fall in, they’ll all just fall on top of each other and pile up in the back without pushing any medals forward to–”

He stopped talking as the shelf moved and the newly gathered pile of medals cascaded over the side, causing an avalanche.

And knocking the tower over.

“No way!”

“…I won?” Mama stared blank-faced at the overflowing tray of medals, some of them falling into her lap as she gathered herself and looked up at Yuugi. “Yuugi-kun! I won!”

“Haha, congrats, Mama!”

“How much is this worth?!”

“Huh? We can count the medals if you like, but–”

“No, no, I mean how much money do you usually get for knocking over a tower like that?”

“…Nothing.” Yuugi blinked, surprised to see the faint elation on his mother’s face give way to confused frustration. “We’re not playing for money.”

“What?”

“You don’t get any money for this. All you get are the medals.”

“…”

“That’s what makes it legal. If you win, you can save the medals and play again later without having to buy more, but you’re just doing it for the fun of it.”

…Mama turned, glowering hard at the medal tray as she insisted,  _ “How _ is this fun?”

Yuugi shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pocket, expression and mood caught oddly between disappointment and amusement. “You looked like you were having fun for a second there. And, well, a lot of people like coin pusher games.”

“…So, it’s called a  _ coin _ pusher, is it?”

“…Well…” 

“Never mind,” Mama sighed, tossing the medals that fell onto her lap back into the tray before standing up. “Do you play these sorts of games a lot? With your friends, or Atem-kun?”

“No, we focus on other games. This usually costs too much.” He shrugged at his mother’s sudden flat look, grinning again when he swore he saw faint amusement behind her eyes, too. “And there’s also not much skill involved.”

“So, it’s not your sort of game.”

“Nah, we all prefer more of a challenge. Although, I bet if he  _ liked  _ to play, Atem would be really good at it. He’s extremely lucky, after all.” 

* * *

“Ah, you were just bluffing, eh? Heh heh, too bad, Atem-kun.”

_ “Seriously?” _ Jounouchi breathed, the gut-punched airiness of his words giving voice to the silence that rang in Atem’s own mind as he watched Sugoroku gather up the pot.

And the last of his money.

His pockets were empty and he had nothing left on him.

…He slowly stood from the table, hands flat on the wood as he pinned Sugoroku with a burning look. “Don’t. Move.” 

He turned and ran out of the room, only to come back in a minute or so later with a few crumpled bills in hand.

Sugoroku blinked at the money tossed before him. “…You had to go upstairs for more cash?”

“I didn’t bring much to the store,” Atem breezed, sitting down with a smirk he found somewhere back on the stairs.

But Jounouchi looked as wrung out as ever, shaking his head before hissing in Atem’s ear.  _ “Is that all the money you have?” _

“Deal,  _ Jii-chan.” _

_ “Dude, come on! How are you still thinking this can go well?” _

“It’s  _ fine, _ Jounouchi.” Atem broke his gaze with Sugoroku just long enough to shoot his friend a reassuring smile– ignoring how Jounouchi just kept grimacing as he focused back on his opponent. “Go ahead. Deal.”

Sugoroku, who had done nothing throughout the exchange save smile faintly, shrugged. And began dealing. “Suit yourself.”

Jounouchi let out a choked groan as Atem picked up his cards.

* * *

“Did you have fun tonight?”

_ “Yeah, _ I did.” Yuugi grinned against the backdrop of his bag jingly against his back, heavy with the weight of medals and toys and various other UFO catcher prizes. He and his mother strolled leisurely down the street that led from the station to their home, a faint breeze breaking up the summer night humidity as he admitted, “Even homework wasn’t too bad in the end.”

“Good. Make sure you stay on top of your studies from now on.”

“Right…” Yuugi eyed his mother as they walked, the silence edging into his mind as he took in her relaxed, untroubled expression. 

It would be so easy not to say anything at all.  _ Smarter, _ really. 

But… he couldn’t help it. “Hey, Mama?” 

“Yes?”

“Why’d we go out tonight?” His mother skipped a glance his direction with the question, but there was nothing more behind her gaze as he hesitantly added, “I mean, it was fun, yeah. But we didn’t really do any of the things you  _ meant  _ to do, right? We didn’t even buy anything in the end.”

“No, we needed to focus on your readings.”

“Yeah, but even when I was done, we went to the arcade instead of shopping like you said.”

“You did well, and I wanted to encourage that. And I can always go back later to shop. You don’t have to go with me.”

“Right… But, if you didn’t need me, and you didn’t have to buy anything  _ tonight, _ why’d you insist on going?” 

He had  _ suspected _ a reason, even dreaded it, and the thought that he might be pushing her bring it up after all was enough to make him want to gulp and drop it completely… but he just  _ had _ to  _ know. _ If she knew, then–

But, his mother just shook her head, her smile nothing but tired as she asked, “Yuugi-kun, when do we ever sit down and talk outside of the kitchen, just the two of us?”

He stared with the question… his feet slowing and finally stalling as he tried to think of an answer, and came up with nothing.

_ ………Shit. _

It was a good thing his tongue was too heavy with shock for him to speak, or he might have repeated the curse out loud– and earned a lecture instead of a head shake and a soft look. “One day, you aren’t going to have any homework at all. And I won't be in charge of how clean your room is, and there won’t be any reason for us to sit down or do things together, unless we make a point of it. And I want us to still know how to talk to each other when that time comes.” 

Yuugi opened his mouth, but– but nothing came out. And his mother looked like she was ready to laugh at his floundering look, to smooth over his struggle. But the shame of having her so wrong in all of this, and hiding stuff when she just wanted to spend time with him, and she was  _ right,  _ and– “You can always tell me if my room's messy. I don't mind.”

The mindless, tripping assurance calmed the laughter from his mother’s smile, and she just looked at him fondly for a moment… reaching out to ruffle his hair just when he began to relax. “You better not make it necessary.”

Yuugi instantly reached up to straighten his spikes as his mother walked away, huffing a begrudgingly pleased, “Yes, ma’am.”

* * *

“Is that it, then? Want to go again?”

Atem didn’t answer. Just stared utterly dead-eyed at the table as Sugoroku gathered up last bet.

As Jounouchi shook beside him, his eyes wide and shot as he mumbled to himself. “How did I even get back into this game?  _ How did I find another 1000 yen in my pocket and thing ‘yeah, playing more is a good idea?!’” _

“Come now,” Sugoroku soothed, trying and failing to make contact with the shaken blond. “You just saw Atem-kun using the last of his money, and you wanted to help somehow.”

Atem still didn’t say anything. Or look up. Lips tight and eyes glued to the tabletop as he screamed self-admonishments in his own head.

Until Sugoroku spoke up again. 

“Just try to learn from this, both of you. On top of playing when your own better judgement said to stop and walk away, you both have more tells than a tot caught with his hand in the cookie jar.”

Atem blinked. Burst to life as he looked up with sparking eyes. _ “What  _ tells?”

Sugoroku just smiled, shaking his head as he straightened his winnings into organized piles and folded bills. “Now, why would I tell you that? I’d like to play with you again some time. And not only would that be silly for my own sake, but it’s always better to try and figure out your own tells, and leave an opponent uncertain what you’re unaware of and what you’re playing up consciously.”

…That was a fair point, actually. Making an opponent question his own self-awareness could be a helpful layer of subterfuge.

Except, Atem was fairly confident he  _ had _ a good poker face already! He’d managed to bluff his way through quite a few victories in the past, after all, both serious and friendly. And yet Sugoroku had seen right through his every play, as though his thoughts were written on his face!

He knew the older Mutou was a master gambler himself, but  _ still. _

Atem stared hard at the man’s smiling face, seeking some explanation… until Sugoroku pulled out his wallet, tucking the money away. “Well, it’s been fun, boys, but I should turn in. Us old men need to go to bed early, you know. Atem-kun, make sure you get some food before you go to bed, you hear?”

Atem didn’t answer, and neither did Jounouchi. They just watched the Sugoroku stroll out of the kitchen… the blond’s head flopping back onto the table the moment they were alone.

“Aaaah, how did we get mixed up in this, Atem?!”

Atem didn’t answer.

Jounouchi wouldn’t like the truth.

And neither did he.

So he just grimaced as Jounouchi bemoaned their loss, waiting for his own silent, mirroring uproar to pass… when they heard a door open.

_ “Tadaima!” _

Atem turned his head in sync with Jounouchi at the sound of Yuugi’s voice, moving to rise– when a scream stopped them where they sat.

_ “Give those boys back their money, you con artist!!”  _

They both flinched and dropped back in their seats.

A moment later, Yuugi stepped into the kitchen, a twisted half-smile on his face as he greeted them and sat down at the table– to the backdrop of his mother screaming. “We caught  _ Jii-chan  _ counting bills in the hallway… rough night?”

Atem’s rising grin dropped into another flat nothing, his gaze drifting towards the stove. “I’d rather not talk about it.” 

Jounouchi echoed the thought with a strangled harrumph… then looked nervously beyond Yuugi to the door. “She  _ is _ getting our money back, right Yuugi?”

Yuugi grinned awkwardly in answer, shrugging… reaching for the cards that had been left behind on the table. “You guys want to play  _ Daifugo?” _

Jounouchi’s answer was to groan and drop his head back to the table.

Atem kept scowling at the stove.

* * *

“Seriously? You challenged _Jii-chan_ _again? Already??”_

“Just a few hands over lunch.”

_ “Seriously?” _

“I had to at least try,  _ aibou. _ It’s the principle of the thing.”

“And how much money did the ‘principle of the thing’ lose you?”

“Nothing, actually.”

“What? It– you won?”

“Partially. We re-established the bet limit, and I took your other advice, too. We each won two hands, so we came out even in the end.”

“Haha, well, I’m glad you agreed not to go crazy with it.”

“I assure you, if we hadn’t gone back to the shop, I would have won more in the end.”

“Just remember not to make eye contact with  _ Jii-chan _ when you play until you catch your tells. Chances are they’re in your expression, and not some gesture or twitch you’d be more conscious of.”

“Like scratching my lip.”

“Yup.”

“Like Jounouchi.”

_ “Yup.” _

“I’ll remember. And thanks for the advice in the first place.”

“Course!”

“Hmm… but,  _ aibou?” _

“Yeah?”

“Why are we here?”

“What do you mean?” Yuugi asked, grinning as he looked up from the complicated remote he was messing with to face Atem.

Who sat beside him in the booth.

In their private room.

At a karaoke box. 

They’d met up near the school gate earlier that afternoon, and the second Atem heard Yuugi’s test that day had gone well, he’d insisted they go somewhere special to celebrate– Yuugi’s choice, Atem’s treat.

And Yuugi chose  _ this. _

A  _ karaoke box. _

And while he’d gone along with it, Atem had been shooting Yuugi dubious looks ever since he suggested it, and they only grew longer and more pronounced after they got their rented space and Yuugi actually  _ picked up the remote _ and tried to set up the music. 

Yuugi had pretended not to notice, but finally called out, he mirrored Atem’s expectant look right back at him… until his other self shook his head. “You hate karaoke.”

“I don’t  _ hate _ it.” 

“Well, you certainly don’t like it enough to pick it over the arcade or a card shop.”

“You want to go to a card shop instead?”

“No, this is your choice. And we’ve already paid. I just don’t know what we’re doing here.”

“Singing, what else?”

“Honestly?” Atem sat back, resting one arm on his knee as his other hand played with one of his earrings– the fake gold studs in the Z-shape of a Tetris piece that Yuugi had gifted him last night, won from a UFO Catcher. “I thought you might just be looking for somewhere we could be alone.”

–Yuugi’s brain froze over.

Thawed again as Atem met his eye, and he saw the uncertain hope beneath that wry smirk.

He was suddenly very conscious of the fact that Atem’s knee was brushing his leg.

Yuugi choked on his own breath, feeling his cheeks heat as he coughed, struggling to gather himself as he looked from screen to– boyfriend. “I mean, that wasn’t what I…” The faint wash of discouragement on Atem’s face just made his face burn  _ hotter,  _ and he shook his head sharply. “I mean, we’ll be in here a  _ while,”  _ but the doors also didn’t lock and their time there was timed and there might be security cameras and it really wasn’t as private as Atem seemed to think– 

But that didn’t stop his stomach from somersaulting when Atem subtly lit up, and Yuugi was grinning rather dopeily as he insisted, “But, I really did want to come here and sing a while.”

“Alright.” Apparently emboldened, Atem straightened his legs to shift in his seat, facing Yuugi more directly as he insisted,  _ “Why?” _

–Yuugi huffed, shoulders relaxing as he jerked a wave at the room about them. “Look, you know Anzu-chan and Otogi-kun like these places, and lots of people do, and I'm tired of cringing every time someone suggests we do this. And I know I’m just avoiding it because of Sozoji-kun…” Atem grimaced with perfect understanding at the name, but Yuugi just shook his head, smiling. “I just want to see what it’s like when we’re not being forced to listen to someone like that. I want to see if we can find it  _ fun  _ when it’s at least just us.”

Atem tilted his head, considering his partner with hooded eyes… and a faint smile that told Yuugi his answer long before he turned to the screen.  _ “Sing.” _

“Yeah.”

“The two of us. Singing.”

“Well, it doesn’t look like there’s anybody else here.” 

Atem snorted, turning back to Yuugi with an open grin. “Alright, I’m game.”

“Awesome!” Yuugi turned and started scrolling through the selection screen, before he could stop and think about what they were doing himself. Before he could balk. “What songs do we even know?”

“Don’t they have a popular songs list we could work with?”

“Probably… oh, here it is!” 

A minute or two later found them blaring a heavy beat rock song over the speakers, a microphone in each of their hands… as they stared at each other, the screen flashing unsung lyrics.

“Well?”

“This was your idea,  _ aibou. _ Shouldn’t you start us off?”

“But you picked the song!” 

“Yes, for  _ you.” _

“Oh, come on,” Yuugi huffed, rolling his eyes– grinning right back at Atem as he nudged him lightly in the arm. “I  _ know _ you’re a good singer.”

“When have you ever heard me sing?”

“Last Christmas, when we had Anzu-chan’s concert songs stuck in our heads.”

“I sang those  _ in _ your head. It’s a lot easier to hold a note when I’m using you as a soundboard.”

“It was still your voice singing.”

“Yes, and  _ you _ sang out loud perfectly well. So you should be fine.”

“Yes, but we’re both– why don’t we just  _ both  _ sing it?”

“Over each other?”

“Yeah! We can shield each other by drowning each other out.” 

_ “Heh.” _

“Oh, come on.”

Atem didn’t fight it, shaking his head as Yuugi restarted the song– and started belting words right in his face.

A jerk back, a drowned out laugh, and Atem looked to the screen, yelling the song into his mike right along with him.

They were horrible.

Completely out of sync, since neither of them knew the song that well.

It didn’t matter, though. They didn’t need to get it right, and tripping over each verse only to pick up the beat on the chorus brought no self-consciousness, once that they were into it. There was no room for stage fright or feared impressions when it was just the two of them. Whatever Atem’s claims, there were no surprises. They already knew each other’s voices perfectly well, and even if they hadn’t, Yuugi wouldn’t have worried. Atem’s smile and lingering look when he actually managed to hit a note right was as much a given to Yuugi as breathing. 

That didn’t stop his chest from swelling, though, to hear his other self outside of his own head. To see him so thoughtless, beaming and singing and tapping his hand on a knee to match the beat.

Yuugi grabbed that hand when the song ended, using the one still free to pick the next song without thinking.

It was some American classic, but he barely heard the fast opening notes as Atem looked at him, smile taking on a new light as he squeezed his hand… leaning in to say, “You take this one.”

Yuugi snorted, not moving back an inch. “I don’t know enough English for this.”

“Neither do I, but you picked it.”

“Then I guess neither of us can sing it.”

“Then what do you suggest we do?”

Yuugi opened his mouth… then shut it, face splitting in a grin as he put down his microphone, stood up, and offered his other hand.

Atem’s expression cleared as he quirked a brow, but Yuugi shrugged, answering not with words, but a look, hopeful and self-conscious at once as he stared down at him.

Atem answered by melting, gaze lingering as he reached up– and slipped the Puzzle’s cord over his head. 

The new braided leather cord – bought on the way to the karaoke box that day – shone black against the gold as Atem left the Item behind on the seat and rose to meet his partner. 

Yuugi felt his other self’s arms catch around his neck and back, making him trip face first into his chest as their feet tangled and Atem laughed. 

Yuugi’s grimace at the pressure on his nose shifted into a smile as he righted himself and they looked at each other– Yuugi reclaiming Atem’s hand to prompt him to turn– twirl on a foot as he nearly toppled over with laughter.

There was no grace to it, or style. They had no idea what they were doing, and they didn’t even continually move. They just had fun, bobbing heads and twirling on feet and falling into each other, snorting and laughing at their own tripping failures until the song ended.

Yuugi let go of him just long enough to hit play on the next song. 

A slow ballad.

They went still, listening for a few beats before registering that the simple piano definitely didn’t match the mood they had just fallen into.

And Yuugi considered trying again, hitting buttons until something fast came on again… but he got caught in Atem’s smile mid-thought. 

In the mixed levity and warmth in his eyes.

Yuugi’s heartbeat steadied. 

He smiled. “I don’t know this one, either.”

“I think it’s another English one.”

“Then I’m not singing it.”

“Me neither.”

Yuugi shrugged… stared at Atem until he was sure he was never going to look away.

And stepped closer. 

Arms that had tensed with the uncertainty of the music locked loosely around Atem’s hips, and Yuugi leaned close. So close that the old chain around his own neck – secured into a shorter, double strand necklace with some repurposed Hanayama links – dug into his chest, tangling up with Atem’s cartouche.

Arms fell heavy on his own hips as Atem met him. Watched him from behind his lenses with warm, steady eyes, from a breath away.

And… they did nothing. 

Just breathed. 

Yuugi didn’t know how to turn or twirl or dance about without knocking that precious contact loose, so it wasn’t worth it. 

It wasn’t worth disturbing what sang in Atem’s eyes, or looking away from it.

So he just leaned onto one foot, then the other, shifting slightly… faint tips of the hips and the arms that never disturbed their chests or heads. 

Never drew them apart. 

And Atem mirrored him perfectly, smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Music:** [Uchiage Hanabi](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywIgoeOT9bM&list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z&index=31) by DAOKO & Utada Hikaru
> 
>  **Update Note:** I am currently swatting back a horrid work situation, and am not sure when it will resolve. I am writing slowly in the meantime, but aim not to upload anymore chapters until I finish the whole story. i.e. expect a long break with consistent updates afterwards.
> 
> **[twitter](https://twitter.com/Phoebeus14) :: [writing blog](http://phoebeusproduction.tumblr.com/) :: [ygo blog](http://ygospamproduction.tumblr.com/) :: [music](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn8YUU72z8mkLflPe1NOxtSiZlvLBW76Z) :: [ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/phoebeus)**


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